GALLERY: Arrested Malaviya Seven OSV finally sold

Malaviya Seven, an offshore supply vessel detained in Aberdeen for over a year due to unpaid wages to the Indian crew, has been sold.

According to information provided by VesselsValue, the Malaviya Seven was sold to an undisclosed buyer on Wednesday, November 8.

Offshore Energy Today reached out to auctioneer Dominic Daly who confirmed that an offer for the vessel was accepted and that the offer was being processed, with further details to be revealed at a later date.

Regarding the vessel’s future status, Daly said he was of the belief that the vessel would continue working offshore, rather than be scrapped.

As a reminder, the UK Maritime and Coast Guard Agency arrested the now infamous vessel Malaviya Seven last March over unpaid wages to the crew.

The vessel, owned by India’s Gol Offshore, was first detained in mid-2016, over what an RMT representative described as a “blatant example of modern day slavery,” but was released after the wages had been paid, only to be detained again in October 2016.

Malaviya Seven was arrested by the UK Maritime and Coast Guard Agency at the request of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). At the time, the ITF said that the crew of the vessel were abandoned in Aberdeen by its owners and were owed around $667,000.

 

Previous auction withdrawn

 

As previously reported, the vessel had been put up for auction in October but was later withdrawn after receiving a bid of £300,000 ($394,500), thought to be too low. The auctioneer said at the time that he would try and negotiate a better deal with the man who entered the bid.

BBC reported in October that potential buyers from all over the world would be interested in the vessel, and that, upon a successful sale, the Indian crew would have been paid within two weeks of the sale.

As for the crew, BBC said in October that six crew members “headed home earlier this month,” while the remaining six decided to stay until the ship is sold.

Offshore Energy Today also reached out to ITF union, seeking comment on the current status of the crew.

We received a statement from ITF’s press and editorial manager, Sam Dawson, who confirmed that an acceptable bid has been accepted by the courts for the sale of the M7 [Malaviya Seven] from a undisclosed buyer and for an undisclosed amount.

As for the crew, he said that two members of the crew would be leaving soon while the remaining four would stay to assist the new owners in handling over the vessel.

“The ITF is continuing to work to secure the best possible result for them [the crew], and would also like to thank the Port of Aberdeen for its support for the men,” Dawson added.

 

Offshore Energy Today Staff / Image 1: Wikimedia Commons / Images 2,3,4: Dominic Daly