The Orissa High Court directed the Centre and other authorities to disembark and repatriate the crew of MT Unity, a foreign oil tanker abandoned by its owner off Paradip since May, preferably within three weeks. The order was issued on Oct 6 by Justice R K Pattanaik after hearing a writ petition filed by the vessel’s master, Russian national Istyagin Evgeny Nikolaevich.
The court held that the seafarers had been abandoned under the Merchant Shipping Act because the owner failed to pay wages, provide provisions, or arrange a crew change or return home. It directed that the crew be disembarked, repatriated, and a replacement crew be placed aboard. The court also allowed the expenses to be recovered from the owner or other liable parties.
MT Unity, a Cameroon‑flagged tanker, has been anchored off Paradip port since May 11 and is under arrest in three admiralty suits before the High Court over commercial claims against its owner. The vessel had arrived to discharge Russian crude oil. The master and 22 other seafarers—20 Russians, two Egyptians, and one Kazakh—have remained on board. The master said the crew had not been paid since May and that supplies of food, drinking water and other essentials had dwindled.
The vessel’s insurer later supplied provisions and cleared the wage arrears. The High Court had earlier directed the Paradip Port Authority to remove sludge from the tanker, and the Ministry of External Affairs said it was in regular contact with the Russian Embassy regarding the crew’s welfare and repatriation. The tanker remains under arrest, the court noted.
