WISHAKAPATNAM: At least five Pakistani nationals are trapped in a foreign vessel anchored at an Indian port for the last four months, Geo News reported.
Reports have it that Indian authorities had seized the ship, owned by a Bangladeshi national, after it defaulted on port payments last year.
Geo News learnt that the seafaring vessel had berthed at Visakhapatnam Port, which is the only major port of Andhra Pradesh, on November 4, 2012, where it remains tied up to date.
According to the second officer of the vessel, all the crew had been confined to the ship for the last four months.
“We are not allowed to go on shore. On top of having to put up with inhuman living conditions, scarcity of food supplies, and shortage of water on board, the seamen were also not paid for the past half-a-year”, he said.
The officer also revealed that they have only been consuming a dish of rice and pulses since the seizure of their ship.
"Stomaching the same food over and over again is sickening the crew members", the second officer added.
It is pertinent to mention that there are five Pakistanis among the crew.
Three of the five seamen are the residents Karachi.
