The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) has urged the Indian authorities for immediate intervention over the safety of 16 Indian crewmembers aboard the multi-purpose offshore vessel AM Pioneer. This comes after the vessel was pressured by the shipowners and managers to transit the high-risk Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing regional security threats.
Vessel AM PIONEER, image credit: Gwenole de KERMENGUY
In the social media post on 17 August, FSUI alleged that the vessel’s owners and managers were pressuring the captain to compel the crew to make the transit, putting commercial interests ahead of seafarer safety. The crew refused to sail under dark conditions or with communications switched off, and called for their immediate repatriation with full wages and outstanding dues.
FSUI has also shared an SOS video of the captain, who revealed that the vessel arrived at Ras Al Khaimah Port in the UAE for a routine survey before being instructed to proceed through the Strait of Hormuz. He also stated that 16 crewmembers refuse to undertake the voyage and put their life in danger.
AM Pioneer is a Marshall-Island-flagged offshore vessel built in 2006. It measures 73.2 meters in length and 16.5 meters in width.
