Cuttack: Orissa high court has come to the rescue of 23 seafarers, 20 of them Russian nationals, who have been stranded without adequate food and drinking water aboard the Cameroon-flagged crude oil tanker, MT Unity, at Paradip port anchorage since May 11.The vessel had been detained following high court orders in connection with an alleged dispute over unpaid bunker fuel dues. The HC has now directed the Centre to arrange the disembarkation and repatriation of the crew members, who also include two Egyptians and one from Kazakhstan, within three weeks.Justice R K Pattanaik, while disposing of a petition filed by the ship’s master, Istyagin Evegeny Nikolaevich — a Russian national — declared the vessel “abandoned”, holding that the ship’s owner had failed to discharge its statutory obligations towards the crew.With the owner and agents seemingly failing to attend to the vessel, the crew members were left stranded for nearly 6 months.In the Oct 6 judgment, the HC noted that the vessel’s flag had also been claimed to have been disowned by the member state concerned. “Not only the owner has failed to discharge the statutory obligations but also the vessel has been detained by the orders of this court in Admiralty Suits,” Justice Pattanaik said, holding that MT Unity fell within the definition of an “abandoned vessel” under the Merchant Shipping Act.The HC said the crew members were consequently “abandoned seafarers” under the Act and could not be made to wait indefinitely for settlement of maritime claims.Rejecting the contention that the ship owner, contracting parties or insurer should bear responsibility for replacement and repatriation, the high court said, “The Union of India has a role to play which includes replacement of crew on board and their repatriation.”Directing the Centre, shipping master (Kolkata), mercantile marine department (Kolkata) and director general of maritime administration (Maharashtra) to “immediately take charge of the situation”, Justice Pattanaik ordered arrangements for disembarkation, replacement of crew and their repatriation.The expenses incurred would be recoverable from the owner or its agents as a maritime claim, the judge said, directing that the exercise be completed “at the earliest, preferably within three weeks”.