The liquefied petroleum gas tanker Gas Falcon is seen in this undated picture at an unknown location. - Courtesy of Jefrison Nainggolan
JAKARTA: Nine Indonesian crew members who had been stranded for nearly a year aboard the Gas Falcon, a Gabon-flagged LNG tanker anchored in Mozambique’s Beira Sea, have finally been evacuated.
Indonesian Ambassador to Mozambique and Malawi Kartika Candra Negara confirmed that the crew disembarked the vessel on Sunday (Sept 21) at approximately 2.40pm local time, after the ship's owner deployed a replacement crew.
“Thank God, the crew change went smoothly. All the seafarers are in good health,” Candra said on Monday.
He added that the crewmen are currently staying at the Indonesian Guesthouse in Mozambique’s capital Maputo and they are scheduled to fly back to Indonesia on Wednesday.
The nine Indonesian crew members boarded the Gabon-flagged LNG tanker Gas Falcon in October last year. However, since November 2024, the vessel has been barred from leaving Beira, a coastal city approximately an hour’s flight from Maputo, because of legal disputes involving its owner.
The Gas Falcon is registered under Gator Shipping Alfa, a subsidiary of Gator Shipping Limited, a private company headquartered in Torquay, Devon, England.
The Maritime Court of Sofala Province ordered the seizure of the tanker, which has remained anchored about four nautical miles off Beira Port.
As part of the legal proceedings, local authorities confiscated the documents of all 12 crew members on board, which, in addition to nine Indonesians, includes three Pakistanis.
Authorities also required the ship owner to deploy a replacement crew before allowing the Indonesian and Pakistani seafarers to disembark, citing safety concerns that an unmanned tanker could become a navigational hazard in busy shipping lanes.
However, Gator Shipping repeatedly delayed the deployment of a replacement crew for the Gas Falcon, effectively leaving all crew members stranded. The company has also failed to pay the crew since January, with total wage arrears amounting to approximately US$260,000.
In addition to the unpaid wages, the company did not consistently supply the vessel with essential provisions and fuel, severely compromising the crew’s well-being and safety.
In response, the Indonesian Embassy in Mozambique intervened by providing emergency humanitarian assistance to sustain the stranded seafarers, including food, fresh water and diesel. The already dire situation worsened earlier this month when a fishing vessel collided with the Gas Falcon, causing the tanker to leak and tilt by approximately 15 degrees, raising further safety concerns for the crew on board.
Jefrison Nainggolan, a sailor from North Sumatra, told The Jakarta Post that while he felt relieved to finally disembark the Gas Falcon, he remains deeply concerned about his nine months of unpaid wages.
“I’m unsure of how to move forward. I’ve borrowed Rp 23 million (US$1,380) just to cover daily expenses and support my family while I was stuck on the ship. When I return to Indonesia, I won’t have a single rupiah left. We’re desperately hoping the ship owner will pay what we’re owed,” he said on Monday.
Jefrison added that the crew had pooled what little money they had to hire a lawyer in hopes of recovering their unpaid salaries, although the funds collected so far have fallen short of what they need.
Another Indonesian sailor, Andarias Aris, expressed hope that the Indonesian Embassy in Maputo will provide legal assistance to help the crew recover their unpaid wages from the ship’s owner.
“The ship’s cargo is still at Beira Port and hasn’t been sold yet. With legal support from the Indonesian Embassy, we may still have a chance to receive what we’re owed,” he said.
Andarias added that the ship owner had promised to pay the crew’s wages by Oct 31. However, many of the seafarers remain skeptical that the promise will be fulfilled. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
