Cargo ship departed from Mangalore port stranded off Dubai for a year

June 26, 2014

crew

Dubai, Jun 26: Sixteen Indian crew members of a cargo ship have been stranded for almost a year aboard an empty vessel anchored off a port here as they do not have visas and the ship's documents have also expired, according to a media report.

The ship 'Maharishi Devatreya' has been anchored 12 miles from Rashid Port here.

Aninda Sengupta, who joined the ship as a captain in November 2013, said the vessel has been in anchorage since July 2013 when it arrived from New Mangalore Port, the Gulf News reported.

The ship belongs to Varun Shipping company. "When I joined, they told me that the ship would move to the Dubai dry docks in December 2013 and start trading normally," Sengupta told the newspaper.

However, there has been no progress since then. The previous captain left the ship in November 2013, when Sengupta joined.

"We are prisoners on the ship as we cannot leave it because we do not have visas to land in the country and we cannot go back to India because the ship's certificates expired on December 29, 2013 and I am not authorised to move the ship. If I do and something happens I'll be held responsible," he was quoted as saying.

"The owner has not paid us in seven months and he refuses to do anything. He just sends us food and water every two months so we can survive and every time we talk to him he says next week or next month and nothing happens," he said.

The crew have been in contact with the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), who have helped them pressure the company to fix their air-conditioner when it broke down in May.

The ship, which is fitted to transport Liquid Pressurised Gas (LPG), is worth around USD 20 million, he said.

Sengupta said that the crew's mental health is deteriorating as some have been on the ship for almost a year.

Meanwhile, the shipping company said that the 16 crew members on the ship will return home soon.

Yudhishthir Khatau, Chairman and Managing Director of Varun Shipping Company Limited, said that the ship is expected to enter the Dubai World Drydocks in mid-July.

Khatau said the company is working to resolve the matter. "Maharishi Devatreya is safely anchored within the port limits of Port Rashid....The crew will be relieved on the vessel entering the drydock around mid-July 2014," he said.

Responding to non-payment of salary claims by the captain of the Maharishi Devatreya, Khatau contended that "the company has paid around USD 10 million towards all crew salaries across its fleet in the last six months as per our agreed schedule with stakeholders and regulators".

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December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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