5 sailors stuck in tanker stranded off UAQ beach

  DUBAI – Five sailors have reportedly been stuck for nearly four years in an oil tanker that also recently drifted aground in Umm Al Quwain. The vessel is expected to be towed back to safety this week. According to reports, the tanker MT Iba broke off its anchor and drifted aground near the beach during strong winds in Umm Al Quwain on Friday. This compounded to problems for tanker owner Alco Shipping Services, which ran into financial crisis that left the crew without pay in the last 32 months. On Sunday, UAQ Police Chief Major General Sheikh Rashid Al Mualla chaired a meeting with Alco Shipping Services representatives to resolve the problem. The company reportedly owes its crew salaries of more than $170,000. The debt-saddled company can only pay salaries once the vessel is sold. The tanker is estimated to be worth $4 million. The crew, all Asians, have been surviving on limited rations of food. They have been receiving help from charity organization Mission to Seafarers. ICA/Expat Media
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