Employer offers air ticket for one

The employer of the 31 stranded Bangladeshi seamen in ships offshore Benin yesterday offered assistance for only one crewman's return home, leaving the rest in uncertainty.

“The company's Managing Director Harris called me today [Monday] and asked me to be prepared to return home tonight,” said Ashraful Alam, chief officer of MT Paloma.

Alam said the other crewmen got panicked as only he was offered an air ticket for home.

He said a few other Bangladeshis, who came back home from Benin, were threatened with dire consequences when they wanted payment of their four months' arrears. They had to return home empty-handed.

The seamen assume that nothing could stop the company from doing whatever it wants, if Alam, the only high-raking official among them, is sent back home.

Alam said he was confused about what to do next.

The ships are around 10 nautical miles off the port of Cotonou in the West African country. They used to carry oil from Nigeria to Europe.

Meanwhile, Lutfar Rahman, Bangladesh's charge d' affaires in Morocco, is expected to leave for Benin tonight to find a way for repatriation of the stranded seamen.

The seamen went to Benin in December last year but they did not receive any payment from the Greece-based company since then.

The old ships were kept anchored there as the company was reportedly having some problems with the Nigerian authorities, they said.

They often faced problems of food, water and fuel in the ships. However, three days back they were given some food, but did not get fresh water or fuel.

In MT Paloma, the crewmen found some coal that they now use for cooking.

In another ship, MT Merrie, two crewmembers fell ill and were unable to eat.

"I throw up often for the last two weeks. I cannot eat tinned fish," said Fazlul Haque, one of the two seamen, over the phone.

Selim, the other crewmember, had serious waist pain.

If it rains, they store water for cooking, he said.

"Please help us come back home," Fazlul appealed.