Dubai: Missing freighter Reef Azania is now considered lost as compensation procedures for the crewmen's dependants have started, a representative of the shipping agency that operated the ship said.
"Relatives of all missing crew members have been contacted and we have started compensation procedures for them," said Khalid Lodhi, head of the Zambezi Shipping Agency.
Contact was lost with the Reef Azania on June 24, six days after it left Port Rashid in Dubai on its way to the Comoros Islands via the Seychelles. The ship, heading towards the Comoros Islands and Seychelles, was carrying 14 crew members, eight Tanzanians, two nationals from Myanmar, two Indians, and two Pakistanis.
Although some relatives of the missing crewmen say they have been contacted by representatives of the Zambezi Shipping Agency for compensation, confusion remains as to how much compensation the families will receive.
Relatives of the eight Tanzanian crew members say negotiations are still under way as to how much they could receive.
"We were contacted by someone who introduced himself as a lawyer who briefed us about compensation, but we haven't received anything in writing yet," said Omar Mwalim, a relative of one of the crewmen from Tanzania.
Mwalim said, however, that there were disagreements between the families and representatives of Zambezi as to how much compensation the families would receive. The families were told that compensation would be according to the laws of St Vincent, where the Reef Azania was registered, said Mwalim, "which the lawyer said was 12 months' pay, but we are insisting that it is done according to Tanzanian laws which could give us more compensation, of up to three years."
The families' legal consultant, who spoke to Gulf News from Tanzania, said he was looking into what Tanzanian marine laws stipulate about compensation to dependants of lost crewmen.
"They have only offered twelve months' pay, but I will be contacting the Seaman's Association of Zanzibar to see if they can get more," he said.
Lodhi, however, told Gulf News that compensation would be as per the laws of crew members' countries, not those of St Vincent.
The relative of a Pakistani crew member, however, told Gulf News over the phone from Karachi that the family has not heard from the shipping agency about the ship's fate yet.
"After calling a number of times last month, we were told to wait for a phone call but they haven't contacted us yet," said Noaman Malek, the nephew of the crew member, adding that his calls to the company since then have not been returned.
"That is false. They have all heard from us. The compensation procedures started a while ago," said Lodhi.
