A boat in which Indian nationals have been stranded in Aberdeen harbour is to be sold at a public auction.
The Malaviya Seven will be advertised following a ruling by Sheriff William Summers at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today.
The process will be overseen by the sheriff clerk.
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.
If it goes in the crew’s favour, the men hope to be going home to their families within a month or two.