Beira, Mozambique( The COW News Digital)An LPG vessel, Gas Falcon, has been detained at the port of Beira, Mozambique, since November 2024 due to unpaid financial dues amounting to approximately $1.5 million. Among the 13-member international crew stranded aboard are three Pakistani nationals whose lives are now at risk due to worsening living conditions and lack of basic necessities.
The ship, owned by an Italian national but registered under a Gabonese shipping company, was impounded over eight months ago. Since then, the crew has been confined to the ship, with no permission granted to disembark. According to maritime sources, the Pakistani crew members have not received their salaries since January, and their access to food, clean water, and medicine has severely dwindled.
Compounding their misery, the ship’s air conditioning system has stopped functioning amid intense summer heat, making life onboard extremely difficult. Reports indicate that the LPG cargo remains stored on the vessel, posing potential safety concerns in addition to humanitarian ones.
Despite repeated appeals for assistance, the shipowner has failed to provide any form of support. The crew, now completely helpless, is urging for urgent diplomatic intervention.
The ship’s captain has made a public appeal to Pakistani authorities, urging them to engage with the Mozambican government to facilitate the safe release and repatriation of the stranded Pakistani seafarers. The matter has raised concerns among shipping and human rights organizations, which stress the importance of crew welfare and the enforcement of international maritime labor conventions.
Although Gas Falcon is not a Pakistani vessel, the involvement of Pakistani citizens has drawn significant attention. Advocacy groups have called on the Pakistani Foreign Office and relevant embassies to take immediate action to secure their release, especially in light of growing humanitarian and safety risks.
This situation highlights broader concerns regarding the treatment of maritime workers in vessel detentions worldwide. Delays in resolving such issues often result in serious mental and physical health consequences for crews, many of whom are left in limbo for months.
With international maritime organizations and labor unions now monitoring the situation, the hope remains that timely diplomatic efforts will ensure the safe return of the stranded crew members, particularly the Pakistanis, to their families.
