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A BAHRAINI doctor has visited seven Indonesian seamen stranded on high seas aboard the product tanker, Lady Anna.
GP Hasan Haji, accompanied by a nurse, performed routine health checks on each member of the crew and prescribed medication for their complaints.
Dr Haji, who runs a 24-hour private surgery - Hasan Haji Clinic - in Muharraq, said: "We checked the men's blood pressure, fever and looked at complaints of skin rashes and irritation. The most common condition that plagues all crew members is the lack of sleep due to the stress and constant worry about their current situation."
The workers on Lady Anna have been abandoned 600m north west of Amwaj Island since February. The crew's Kuwaiti employer, Al Sabah Marine Company, has left them to fend for themselves in Bahraini waters following a dispute over alleged outstanding bills.
All operations have terminated on the ship and apart from the first month's salary the crew members have not been paid their outstanding wages and allowances to date.
The marine workers are surviving on food handouts from charitable organisations on the island. Captain Ali Haji Hasan, former sea captain and chairman of Bahrain International Seafarers' Society (BISS) regularly visits Lady Anna to deliver food supplies. He explained: "We are constantly replenishing Lady Anna's food stocks which are donated to us by Ecumenical Conference for Charity. Al Jazeera Shipping Company is also providing food supplies whereas Asry is providing the seamen with clean drinking water and fuel to run its generator.
"Last week on behalf of BISS we gave them 21 phone cards so they could call their loved ones. But the crew members don't know their fate and are worried about their families back home as they have no money to send to them which is why they are suffering from lack of sleep. Our aim now is to collect one month's salary for each of the seven seamen - a total amount of $9,000 - so they can at least send money to their families."
Following his visit to Lady Anna, Dr Haji delivered a new first aid kit along with medication to treat minor stomach ailments, fever, insomnia and topical creams for skin irritation. He said: "I will visit the seamen again in case of an emergency and I have instructed doctors at my clinic to treat the crew of Lady Anna free of charge in case they are ever brought ashore."
At present, Lady Anna has been placed under arrest by the Bahraini courts due to non payment of outstanding dues. Asry (Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company) slapped a bill of $100,000 of previous maintenance work carried out on the ship and Al Jazeera Shipping Company is demanding Lady Anna pay it for the services it provided to the ship. The warrant means that the seamen can neither leave the ship to go ashore or leave Bahraini waters to return home. A court case is pending in Bahrain.
Afrian Asri, third secretary at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait said: "Our lawyers in Kuwait are trying to mediate and settle the dispute between crew members of Lady Anna and Al Sabah Marine Company."
