The families of Pakistani mariners trapped on the GAS FALCON, an LPG carrier docked at Beira Port, Mozambique, have requested the government intervention for their immediate and safe return. The crew, consisting of Captain Muhammad Aslam, Chief Officer Amir Shahzad (hired through Marvell Agencies, Karachi), Cook Nijat Ali, and nine Indonesian citizens, has been stranded on the impounded ship for over eight months, enduring dire and inhumane circumstances.

According to a statement by affected family, the crew is suffering from critical food scarcities, unpaid salaries, and extreme disregard by the vessel owners and their representatives. Gator Energy SRL, an Italian company representing the owners, recently delivered a single week”s worth of provisions, including sustenance, water, and fuel. Despite this short-term reprieve, the crew’s health and wellbeing remain seriously jeopardized.

Repatriation attempts for the Pakistani personnel are supposedly underway and anticipated to conclude within the next week, contingent upon local arrangements. However, their families continue to express grave anxieties about the continuous postponements, the mariners’ welfare, and the sustained refusal to provide their deserved compensation and benefits.

The families have appealed to multiple authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Director General (Ports and Shipping), the Pakistani Ambassador to South Africa, and the Mozambican Consul General in Pakistan, for prompt involvement. They are demanding not only the crew’s secure return but also the payment of all overdue wages and the commencement of legal action against the ship proprietors and the recruitment firm. Additionally, they are advocating for lasting solutions to prevent future human rights infringements concerning Pakistani maritime employees.

They family, stressed the importance of persistent media attention to ensure the stranded crew’s predicament remains public until their safe homecoming.