Muscat: Five Indian sailors have been stranded without salary and basic amenities for the last five months on an oil tanker docked at the Duqum Dry Docks.

"We are living in the tanker without being paid since the ship was brought here for some repairs about five months ago," Vinod Chavan, a crew on board Oasis 1, told Gulf News by telephone on Wednesday.

The captain of the ship, Jitendra Singh Negi, told Gulf News that the problem of irregular salary payment has been going on for over a year, but that there are bigger problems. "More than the payment, it has come down to maintaining the dignity of the crew," he said.

The biggest problem, he pointed out, was the availability of potable water. "The company, after initial problems of food, has organised for food at the dry dock canteen but there's no potable water on board the ship," he revealed.

The captain also said that the Oman Drydock Company (ODC) had initially organised for a water cooler for the crew but since the ship owners have delayed payment to ODC, the cooler was removed. "The boys (crew) fill up bottles from a cooler at the canteen and bring it on board," he said.

However, the canteen staff members have begun objecting to the crew filling up big jars and taking water on board.

Captain Negi said that repair work was done a long time ago but the ship cannot sail out as the company owes ODC money.

Narrating bad days, he said that during their trip to Yemen, the crew had to literally beg for food. In some cases they procured food by selling diesel.

"We have young crew [members] and I am afraid with this experience, they may get put off and give up the profession," he said.

"This is the darkest hour of my career where I cannot protect dignity of my own crew," said the Indian captain, who is also not being paid his salary.

Mahesh Rawat, a crew on board, said that when the salary was not being paid in Yemen last year, the crew had approached International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) to resolve the issue. "Since we are seafarers, we don't fall under local Omani labour laws but can complain to International Maritime Organisation (IMO) about the non-payment of salaries," Negi pointed out.

The team has only one company-issued mobile phone that can only receive calls. "We have to depend on ODC workers or tug-boat crew to use phones to get in touch with family members but how long can we do that?" he said.

Muscat-based social worker, P M Jabir, who is also a member of the Kerala government's Pravasi Welfare Fund Board, brought the predicament of Oasis 1 crew to the notice of the Indian embassy and requested them to intervene.

"We have received a call from Head of Chancery, A.P.S. Chauhan, at the Indian Embassy and he has assured us that the embassy will take up the matter with the company," he said.

When contacted, a company official said that he was not authorised to talk to the media. The General Manager could not be reached for comment.