Seamen aboard the stranded vessel near Khorfakkan are celebrating Eid aboard the dilapidated ship amid shattered hopes and empty promises.
The seamen had hoped for an early settlement of their wages and leave the vessel before the festival.
Iron Monger 3 has been anchored eight nautical miles off the Khorfakkan port near Fujairah for the past two months and is owned by a Taiwanese national and NAS Ship Management.
Meanwhile some of the men aboard the vessel have fallen ill and required hospitalization.
Smigin Subramaniam, one of the stranded seamen who has been providing regular updates on the status of the vessel along with another colleague were on Tuesday rushed to a hospital as his condition worsened.
Both men did not want to return to the vessel and have since flown back to India.
With the latest exit the number of men on board has reduced to nine.
The story was first reported here on June 14.
Qazi Iqbal Sami the captain of the IN Monger 3, a Pakistani national, told Emirates24|7 that the celebrations aboard the vessel has been mute.
“The two men who were taken ill have flown to India. Five others will also be leaving the vessel within either on August 11 or 12,” said Sami.
The men aboard the vessel are demanding payment of pending wages and had refused to leave the vessel until their dues were cleared. The men ran out of food and diesel several times during the last two months and had to spend several days and nights without air conditioning or a proper meal.
Sea Master, the agency responsible for the vessel here in the UAE say they are helpless and all decisions are made by the owners of the vessel.
Emirates24|7 had last week reported that the men hope to leave the vessel within a week.
On July 22, an inspector from the National Transport Authority (NTA) in the UAE too had conducted a survey of the vessel and submitted a critical report to the Khor Fakkan Port officials.
The seamen were then paid a month`s pending wages. The company has also promised to clear the remaining wages within six months.
The ship was due to sail to China to be scrapped and according to sources the current value of the vessel is expected to be anywhere between $70million to $90 million.