
14 sailors aboard the OSM Arena are about to be released after spending an astonishing 17 months at sea anchored off Chennai Port in India.
The vessels’ crew – made up of mostly Koreans and some Myanmarese – started their hitch in October 2009, but work came to a court ordered halt when the ship was detained off the coast of Chennai in early 2010 due to a financial dispute between the ship’s owner and a Kolkata-based cargo supplier.
Now, 17 months later, The Madras High Court has ordered the release of the crew, and that the vessel owner – the Korean based Shinhan Capital Company Limited – pay the crew in full for their troubles.
The captain of the Arena, Kyaw Lin Tun, said the each crew member had lost about 20kg, were under tremendous mental strain and all the ships equipment had become defunct, according to the Times of India.
Pictured: The OSM Arena’s current position via MarineTraffic.com