Four Pakistani sailors reach home from Egypt, 13 others await return

KARACHI: Four Pakistani sailors, who were stranded onboard a Kuwaiti cargo ship near the port of Suez in Egypt, have reached home, while 13 others still await return to the country.

A total of 17 Pakistani sailors were stranded onboard the MV AKKAZ, which is anchored in the Suez Canal after the Egyptian authorities confiscated the vessel for non-payment of dues.

The sailors identified as Mohammed Umer Ghauri, Tanveer, Mohammed Tariq and Samiullah returned home today — although empty-handed — as the Kuwaiti company has not cleared their dues pending for the last five months.

Speaking to Geo News, Third Engineer Umer said their five months in agony were beyond any measure, appealing the government to facilitate return of other fellow sailors.

The MV AKKAZ owned by a Kuwaiti company and chartered by a Dutch firm had set sail from Abu Dhabi on August 11, 2016 bound for Port Said and Alexandria in Egypt, and then onwards to the Netherlands.

However, upon reaching the Suez waters in October, the vessel was not allowed to enter due to mechanical failure and expiry of its technical license.

The stranded sailors according to the vessel’s Chief Officer Jameel Jangian are owed approximately Rs20 million by the shipping corporation in dues.