In a stern intervention prioritizing human rights over commercial interests, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of 50 seafarers who had been stranded for months on three arrested vessels off the Mumbai coast. The court lambasted ship owners for providing “dehumanizing” living conditions, noting that the crew was surviving on a mere 300 ml of water per day.
The matter reached the High Court through a habeas corpus petition filed by seven seafarers representing a larger group of 50 individuals confined aboard the vessels MT Asphalt Star, MT Stellar Ruby, and MT Al Jafzia. The petitioners sought their release, alleging they were being held in conditions that posed a grave threat to their health and lives.
A division bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Hiten Venegaonkar directed the Yellow Gate police to produce all 50 crew members in court. Upon hearing their testimonies and reviewing the conditions of their confinement, the bench ordered their immediate release, asserting that the court would “take care of human lives” while the owners remained free to look after their arrested property.
The three vessels—MT Asphalt Star, MT Stellar Ruby, and MT Al Jafzia—were arrested by authorities approximately 11 nautical miles from Mumbai following allegations of illegal fuel oil and bitumen transfers mid-sea.
Following the arrests, the vessels were effectively abandoned by their owners. The seafarers claimed in their plea that they were left with a critically low supply of food and water. While the ships were legally detained, the crew argued they were being “wrongfully detained” by proxy, as they were unable to leave the vessels and were not being provided with basic necessities for survival.
The seafarers, produced before the bench on Tuesday, informed the court that none of them wished to return to the ships. They described a harrowing ordeal of living on a “minimum supply” of food and a rationed 300 ml of water daily—an amount they argued was insufficient for human survival.
On the other hand, the court observed that the vessel owners appeared “least interested in human lives.” The owners’ focus remained squarely on their commercial activities and the legal status of the ships rather than the welfare of the crew members who were trapped in the middle of the legal dispute.
The bench expressed deep indignation at the treatment of the seafarers. Comparing the crew’s rations to the treatment of household pets, the court questioned the morality of the owners’ conduct.
“How can you (owners) give the crew members only 300 ml of water every day? Even pet animals in our homes get more water each day. We will not allow human lives to be treated in such a manner,” the court held.
The bench emphasized the finality of life, stating, “Life comes only once. We don’t believe in rebirth.”
The court further noted that the health of the seafarers was bound to deteriorate under such conditions, which “cannot be permitted.” The justices made it clear that the scope of a habeas corpus petition is the protection of liberty and life, not the resolution of commercial maritime disputes. “We are not concerned with your ship and vessels. The owners’ conduct is such that they don’t value human lives. They only care about their commercial activities,” the bench remarked.
The Bombay High Court directed the Yellow Gate police to complete all necessary formalities for the 50 seafarers and ensure their release from the vessels. The court concluded that while the ships remain under arrest for the alleged illegal activities, the human beings on board cannot be treated as collateral.
The police have been instructed to facilitate the safe exit of the crew members, effectively ending their months-long ordeal at sea.
