A new court date has been set to decide the fate of a crew which has been detained in Aberdeen harbour for the past year due to non-payment of wages.
The Indian crew of the offshore supply vessel Malaviya Seven has been marooned in the north-east since last June, after a routine inspection revealed they had not been paid in months.
The men have still not been paid around $800,000 US dollars (£613,000) they are owed by the company, GOL offshore, which is now in the process of liquidation.
They fear that if they go home to see their families in Mumbai, they could forfeit the cash owed to them by the company.
Last month, a hearing took place in Aberdeen Civil Court to decide whether or not the Union Bank of India, which has securities in the Malaviya Seven, would object to the sale of the vessel to help pay the 12 men their wages.
But the bank backed down, and Sheriff William Summer ruled that a report should be produced into how the sale could proceed.
Another hearing will be held on Thursday, where it is expected progress regarding the sale could be made.
If it goes in the crew’s favour, the men hope to be going home to their families within a month or two.
Doug Duncan, regional port chaplain for the Apostleship of the Sea in Aberdeen, said he and the Malavia Seven crew were growing more and more tired of the ongoing legal hurdles.
He said: “The mood of the guys can only be described as despondent.
“We thought we were getting somewhere back in August’s court dates, but it’s just been dragging on and on.
“Hopefully next Thursday the sheriff will finally give the go-ahead to sell the boat.
“If a sale is secured, I would hope that the crew could go back to India within a month or so, however we’re prepared just in case there are yet more legal speedbumps – and we’ve faced plenty of them.”