Seamen stranded in the middle of the sea on a ship are calling on authorities to  free them.

Fourteen engineering staff, including 12 Indians say they are stranded in an old ship since January with no basic amenities.

The men were asked to work towards dismantling the ship into scrap iron, but are just living off the Khorfakkan coast in the United Arab Emirates doing nothing.

The men, including the captain, were promised wages between $600 to $10,000 a month, but allege that they have not received any of their dues.

“None of us have been paid a single penny ever since we joined this ship. The food is getting over. We are living off this iron sheet amidst temperatures of up to 45 degrees. We cannot even come on to the shore as we do not have entry permits,” says Smigin Subramaniam, one of the stranded.

Subramaniam is desperate to leave the ship as his marriage has been fixed and he is scheduled to tie the knot in August.

“They promised to pay me $1,500 per month. But I have not received anything so far. No one here has. I requested the Captain, a Pakistani national for settlement so that I can leave. He told me that I could leave anytime, but without pay,” says Smigin.

According to him eight men forfeited all their dues and left the ship in April.

The men survive by cooking fish and chappati. “We long to eat some vegetables. We cannot explain the situation here. We have been staring at water for months together and just want to see some land,” said another seaman.

Srigith S Kumar who joined the crew in January says they now want to register a complaint with the port authorities here to seize and confiscate the ship and get their dues settled.

“The ship has been anchored here for the last two years. It is owned by a Taiwanese national and managed by a Singapore based companyt. We still do not know why they have anchored the ship for so long, here, employing us, although no work has been started,” says Kumar.

“We want to register a complaint with the port authorities here. There is a provision where they can seize the ship and thereby settle our dues. We do not know if the port management here is aware of our situation. We just want to get on to the shore and register a complaint. We have also informed the Indian Consulate and are expecting some result,” he adds.

The crew have also registered a complaint with the International Transport Federation based in London.

“But they told us that they do not have the jurisdiction to come into the UAE,” added Subrmaniam.