Hopes are rising for the repatriation from Iran of the last two seafarers stranded on a suezmax tanker that went missing in early July after crew claimed the ship was hijacked by pirates.
The 151,000-dwt Gulf Sky (built 1998) left the port of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on 5 July, breaching a no-sail order, and its whereabouts were not known until the tanker was located in Iranian waters on 14 July.
All but two of the 28 crew were repatriated to India, but two seafarers remained in Iran, an AB seaman and an engineer, as their passports had expired.
“Those concerned await the news of the apparent imminent repatriation of the remaining two crew from Tehran,” Human Rights at Sea said on Wednesday.
The UK charity said it and the ship's Dominica flag-state administration believed “the crew have been used as pawns in this incident which now has geopolitical ramifications”.
Traumatic experience
“From the numerous statements taken, the video testimony calls that have occurred these six days and the personal engagement we have had, undoubtedly the crew have been through a traumatic experience, have been in fear of their lives, and some still remain so,” David Hammond, Human Rights at Sea chief executive, said.
Crew members have told Safety at Sea that six people boarded the ship late on 5 July claiming to be surveyors, but then held the crew at gunpoint and beat the captain. They alleged they were tied up and locked in the mess room before the ship sailed. It arrived in Iranian waters on 7 July.
The crew gave accounts of being abused by the pirates, according to Safety at Sea, until the evening of 14 July, when they were blindfolded and forced onto a small vessel. The boat sailed for about 14 hours to a beach where they were put on a bus that took them to the airport.
Eric Dawicki, Commonwealth of Dominica International Maritime Registry president and chief executive, said: “The idea of using crew as pawns in a highly organised criminal conspiracy is almost incomprehensible.
“The tenets of humanity have been devolved in lieu of diplomacy, the rule of law and an adherence of international regulation. The world cannot evolve its civil station if we cannot respect the whole of humanity and not just the ego driven elements of a select few.”
Sale dispute
The Gulf Sky, previously known as Nautic, had been at anchor in the UAE since February following its alleged sale to an individual sanctioned by the US over links to Iranian trading. The tanker was arrested in a dispute over the sale by Greece's Polembros Shipping to Taif Mining of Oman last October.
Polembros was investigated and later cleared by the US over the alleged links to Iranian trading of two buyers identified by the US, and is now trying to recover $10m from the deal that is being held by a US bank, identified as Wells Fargo.
Iranian nationals Dianat and Kamran Lajmiri are alleged by the US to have set up a web of shell companies registered around the world to buy the Gulf Sky for the benefit of Iran's oil industry,
However, Polembros told TradeWinds that the due diligence done by the company showed the buyer was controlled by a "wealthy Omani family", and that the outfit had signed statements stipulating it had nothing to do with Iran.
The shipowner has begun arbitration in London to try to recover the funds. The case had also been expected to be heard by the UAE's Supreme Court at the end of May.
At the same time, the US government is looking to seize the $10m held by Wells Fargo, along with the $2.3m deposit that was paid to Polembros.
In May, master Joginder Singh contacted Human Rights at Sea to highlight the plight of the crew. He said they had suffered from inadequate provisions of food, fresh water and fuel, as well as medical supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.
