A boat seen carrying supplies of food and fresh water from the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo for the abandoned crew of Gas Falcon LNG tanker off Beira, Mozambique on Aug 16, 2025. - Courtesy of Gas Falcon crew
JAKARTA: After being stranded for 10 months aboard the Gas Falcon in the waters off Beira, Mozambique, the Pakistani captain of the Gabon-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker has expressed concern over the mental health of his 12-strong crew, comprising nine Indonesian and three Pakistani sailors.
“The situation is still very bad. Still no salary, unpaid from Jan 1. Now even the owner has stopped sending food, fresh water and diesel,” captain Muhammad Aslam told The Jakarta Post via WhatsApp.
“Lastly, food, fresh water and diesel were bought with the amount borrowed from Indonesia and Pakistan; nothing from the owner,” he said, adding that the shipowner promised to reimburse the suppliers later.
The crew received the fresh supplies, provided by the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo through an agency, on Saturday (Aug 16) after running out of food a week ago.
“The arranged supplies are just enough for one week. We must leave the ship as soon as possible this week; otherwise, crew life will be under serious threat again,” Aslam told the Post.
“Mental and physical condition of the crew is already very bad due to this pressure, uncertainty and forced slavery and noncooperation of the owner and local maritime authorities here in Beira.”
The captain added that he was also suffering mental distress and that his family was under financial stress.
“The only focus and argument of [the] Beira maritime authority is not to leave vessels unattended. For all other rules, regulations or responsibilities they are completely quiet,” he said.
Jefrison Nainggolan, a sailor from North Sumatra, told the Post he had not told his family about the situation he and his crewmates were experiencing. Instead, Jefrison had told them only that he was delayed because he was waiting for his wages from the shipowner. He had kept his worries to himself, which had negatively impacted his mental health.
Dragging issues Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Maputo are handling the case of the nine Indonesian crew members stranded aboard the Gas Falcon. The case first came to light on Jan 15, when the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo received complaints from the tanker’s crew over three months of unpaid wages by shipowner Gator Shipping.
The embassy resolved the wage issue in February. Two months later in April, however, the tanker’s Indonesian crew made a request to sign off the vessel, citing ongoing wage delays and diminishing logistic supplies.
The embassy followed up with the shipowner and communicated with Mozambican authorities via diplomatic note.
Gator Shipping, which is facing legal issues, continued to stall the crew’s sign-off efforts, preventing the company from fulfilling its obligations in Mozambique.
For navigational safety, Mozambican authorities are requiring the shipowner to provide a replacement crew before the Indonesian sailors can disembark.
"The Indonesian embassy has sent a diplomatic note and coordinated with local authorities. We are pushing for a prompt solution for the replacement of the ship's crew,” Judha Nugraha, citizen protection director at the Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday.
“Regulations dictate that leaving the vessel unmanned could endanger shipping lanes,” Judha said.
“The Foreign Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo continue to monitor the situation and maintain communication with the crew, while pressing for a swift resolution to their sign-off process and fulfillment of their rights,” he added.
Meanwhile, the foreign and transportation ministries have contacted crew manning agency PT Ghafieca Samudera Line to urge the Indonesian sailors to sign off the tanker immediately
On Wednesday, Judha said the ministry was also coordinating with several overseas diplomatic missions aside from the one in Mozambique.
These included the embassy in Rome, where Gator Shipping was registered, the embassy in London for coordinating with the International Maritime Organization and the consulate general in Dubai, where the Indonesian crew had signed their work contracts with a United Arab Emirates-registered company.
Indonesian Ambassador to Mozambique Kartika Candra Negara said the embassy in Maputo had been actively addressing the matter since the crew’s first report in January.
“We have repeatedly urged the shipowner to fulfill their obligations,” he said, especially the crew's wages.
“We have also asked the government of Mozambique, particularly the port authority of Beira, to help resolve this issue as soon as possible,” Candra said.
"If approved by the [Beira] port authority, the crew’s agent has prepared the budget for the disembarkation process. The Foreign Ministry has also allocated the necessary funds for the crew’s [flight] tickets back to Indonesia,” he said.
The Indonesian Seafarers Trade Union (SAKTI) has been advocating for the sailors since January, reporting their situation to Gator Shipping in Italy as well as the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and coordinating with the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo.
“However, the shipowner’s ongoing financial crisis has left the resolution of this case in limbo. The crew's salaries have not been paid since January, leaving their future uncertain,” said SAKTI secretary-general Syofyan, a former ship captain.
“We must view this case from two crucial perspectives: humanitarian and legal protection,” he said, adding that from a humanitarian perspective, the crew’s safety and welfare must come first. Syofyan has urged the embassy in Maputo to document the crew's legal claims and find a pro bono lawyer in Beira who could file a maritime lien, using the Gas Falcon as collateral.
He has also advised the crew to file a lawsuit before returning home. Under Article 39 of Government Regulation No. 22/2022 on the placement and protection of merchant and fishing vessel crew, overseas Indonesian representatives are obligated to help seafarers find pro bono legal aid.
A boat sails off Mozambique’s Port of Beira on Aug 16, 2025, to deliver a supply of food and water provided by the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo to the stranded crew of the Gas Falcon natural gas tanker, which includes nine Indonesians. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
