'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The haunted look in their eyes and the ragged clothes worn by the five abandoned sailors on the oil tanker grounded in Umm Al Quwain betrayed the horrors of their four years trapped at sea.
Stepping on board the battered 5,000-tonne vessel gave a stark indication of the ordeal faced by the crew of the Panama-flagged MT Iba.
Two of the men, first engineer Nay Win, 53, and Pakistani second engineer Riasect Ali, 52, had been on board since 2017.
Three others, Vinay Kumar, 31, Monchand Sheikh, 26, and Nirmal Singh-Bora, 22, all from India, joined the crew in late 2018.
When I talk with my parents I cry, and they do too
They have not seen their families since or been paid after the vessel's owner, Alco Shipping, ran into financial trouble.
They spent 43 months at sea and 32 months without pay. The company intends to tow the ship and will try to sell it to recoup losses and pay the crew.
Although detached from a world ravaged by coronavirus, they described life on the Iba as a "living hell".
Strong winds tore the ship free from its steel anchor in the early hours of Friday.
As the crew's possessions in the ship's quarters clattered around them and the vessel began to list, terror set in.
Their ordeal ended hours later when the empty 100-metre tanker, which had drifted three kilometres to shore, became grounded a hundred metres from an idyllic public beach.
"Every day we prayed, it was our only hope," said Mr Kumar, a second engineer, who has managed to stay in regular contact with his wife, Pushpa and two children, Nabia, 6, and Mukund, 3.
“We have all tried to stay strong, but it has been so hard.
“I know the children are no longer at school because of the coronavirus. It is frustrating I have not been able to help out.”
Thanks to an emergency food drop by the Mission to Seafarers charity, aided by volunteers from the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, the men were looking forward to eating fresh eggs, fruit and vegetables for the first time in five months.
In that time, they survived on little more than chickpeas, rice and water.
Mr Kumar's thoughts have turned to being reunited with his young family in Uttar Pradesh as he hopes his misery on the Iba is at an end.
“In summer, it was impossible to sleep,” he said. “It was like a living hell. The deck was so hot, and there was no relief inside without air-conditioning.
“Some of the younger guys just disconnected from the reality of our lives at sea.”
Why can't they leave the ship?
For several reasons, the men cannot leave the vessel. One crew member, Mr Win, from Myanmar, doesn't have a passport, which remains with his former employer.
Were he to attempt to leave the ship and enter Emirates, or any country, he would be turned away.
Furthermore, international law prevents ships being abandoned as they would become a shipping hazard, and potentially an environmental one.
Special permission is also required to go ashore. Last year, a crew on another stranded vessel tried to sail ashore in a lifeboat but were turned away by Emirati coastguard.
Finally, the men are collectively owed about $170,000 in wages, and hope in vain to still collect some of that. Their families have racked up major debts in their absence and they have mortgages and school fees to pay.
If they are towed to Dubai Maritime City, permission for them to depart the vessel can be secured by the authorities.
A summer of hell
The youngest crewman was ordinary seaman Nirmal Singh-Bora, from India’s northern state of Uttarakhand.
At just 22, what started out as a young man’s adventure into a new world turned into a nightmare. He has not been paid for his time on board.
“I miss my family a lot,” said Mr Singh-Bora, who is single. “Every day I would wake up with an expectation of receiving some good news that we would be sent home.
“But all our days were wasted. What could I tell my family when I did not know when I would be home?”
A small section of the vessel’s deck was reserved for exercise, with simple dumb-bells and rudimentary weights the only equipment on board.
There was little room for running or a game of cricket. Conversation was the men's salvation and kept them strong, particularly during the hostile summer months of 45°C heat and humidity. They have developed a bond that will last a lifetime.
At the height of summer, the men took turns sleeping on the few raised beds outside on the deck. Those on the floor had to contend with cockroaches and other insects.
Monchand Sheikh, from Kolkata, has been on the tanker for 25 months and is another young sailor once filled with excitement by thoughts of a life at sea. Those dreams turned into a nightmare.
He was told he would be paid in full at the end of his contract, but has received just Dh1,500.
“When I started this job, I was excited,” he said.
“I am not from a rich household, I come from a very poor family.
“That’s why I came here, so I could build my own house some day and make my parents happy.
“When I talk with them I cry, and they do too. Now, they just want me back home.”
Routine and keeping up morale
Routine was a crucial foundation for keeping the men mentally well during their time on the Iba.
Each was assigned daily tasks to maintain the vessel, in the hope it would be sold for a good price so they will recover what they are owed.
Keeping up morale was left in the hands of Mr Ali and Mr Win, both seamen of many years' experience. Neither had endured such desperate times at sea before.
"Spending so long with these guys on the ship, we have become very close friends," Mr Ali said. "This experience has united us."
His wife, Rubina Kousar, and three children, Hasanin, 22, Saqlain, 20, and Samared, 14, have been in regular contact – but Mr Ali is wary of how he will be welcomed in Punjab after being away for so long.
"I have spoken with them regularly, but it has become more difficult for them and for me as time has passed," he said.
"It is hard for me to say, 'I cannot come home yet'. They don't understand."
Without an experienced captain or master seaman on board, seniority fell to Mr Win, the chief engineer.
He maintained contact with emergency support vessels from Sharjah and the Federal Transport Authority, each day hoping for news that the seamen could sign off and come ashore.
A distress call in the early hours of Friday as the ship broke free of its anchor was the start of what he hopes will be a journey home to Myanmar.
“The ship rolled to 45 degrees and everything inside the cabin was falling over and breaking,” he said.
“The kitchen equipment was smashing around us.
“The wind was just too strong. We asked four times to be brought in, because there was an earlier problem with the anchor.
“We knew it was in bad condition. Not even the lifeboat worked, so we knew we had to stay on the ship at all costs.
“It was very dangerous for us, but at least we can now hopefully go home.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More coverage from the Future Forum
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Read more about the coronavirus
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
