Gujarat: 300 sailors await return from UAE

AHMEDABAD: More than 300 crew members of several cargo and merchant ships, which have remained docked at ports in the United Arab Emirates , are awaiting Vande Bharat mission flights to return to Gujarat . A majority of the crew members are from Salaya in Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar and Kutch districts.

These crew members work on various harbours and are engaged for loading and off-loading cargo.

Some also travel with ships to other destinations from ports of the UAE. With cargo handling having come to a standstill, these crew members are left with little funds to return and are awaiting Vande Bharat flights.

NRG businessman Bharat Joshi, who has so far facilitated the return of 1,550 stranded persons from various parts of the UAE back to Gujarat, says he visited the ships and found the crew members and workers did not have adequate money to return to Gujarat by chartered flights. “These workers got in touch with me over social media and sought help. They say that the merchant ships are not returning to Gujarat any time soon and they do not have adequate money to bear costs of tickets of chartered flights. The government should operate more Vande Bharat flights from the UAE,” Joshi said.

“I am from Jamnagar and there are more than 300 of us here who are waiting to return to Gujarat. We are appealing to the government to take us home through Vande Bharat mission flights. There is no work or money,” said Hussain Mohammed, a crew on one of the ships.