Relatives question fate of crew aboard missing ship

Dubai: The families of crew members on a missing freighter that set sail from Dubai last month say conflicting reports of their loved ones' fate have left them wondering whether they should start mourning.

The vessel, Reef Azania, went missing on June 24 on its way to the Seychelles from Dubai. It was expected to reach Mahe, Seychelles by July 1 before heading to the Comoros Islands. Gulf News learnt that it was carrying 14 crew members, at least eight of which are believed to be Tanzanian.

The Zambezi Shipping Agency in a statement yesterday denied reports of the possible sinking of a cargo vessel. A Gulf News report on the missing vessel on Thursday cited an official at the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre saying that the centre was no longer investigating the incident because Zambezi had contacted the centre to say that "it may have sunk."

Meanwhile, families were confused as to whether they should assume that their loved ones aboard the ship had died. Rumours are spreading about the ship, said the relative of one crewman from Dubai, with some families linking the incident to the recent sinking of a South Korean ship off Oman. Reports indicated that the ship's crew was largely East Asian. "We need to know what has happened so we can start mourning our loss. Without more information, rumours will continue to spread," she said.

Families of other crew members, told Gulf News they had already started mourning. "If they've lost communication we have to conclude that the ship has sunk," said Akshu Ali, the wife of crew member Zela Idarusi, in a phone interview from Tanzania. "Everyone is crying. They keep telling us they'll let us know if they hear anything but we haven't heard much from them."

Another relative of Idarusi said that Zambezi's offices in Tanzania notified families of crew members there that the shipping agency will wait 120 days from the date that contact was lost before concluding the search and discussing a compensation plan for the families.

Officials at Zambezi's office in Dubai refused to comment. The statement sent by Zambezi Shipping Agency said there was no reason to believe that the ship had sunk or been hijacked.