Paradip, Aug. 27: Hunger drove crew members of a stranded merchant ship to launch an assault on the vessel’s engineer. It was scarcity of food and water that provoked at least three crew members to make an attempt on the life of the ship engineer.

The state marine police have rescued from MV Devi Glory the man who was attacked. The injured crew member, Nasir Hansari, is undergoing treatment at Port Trust Hospital here. He is said to be out of danger.

“The crew of the stranded ship were facing a shortage of food and drinking water. That’s what led to the attack,” said Tezraj Patel, inspector of Paradip marine police station.

The ship in which the scuffle occurred has been detained by Paradip Port Trust since September last year for violating international maritime law. Along with the detained ship, the crew members of the vessel are under detention.

There are about 20 crew members, including three foreign nationals, in the ship after Paradip Port Trust had seized it on directions of a court.

“We found out about the plight of the crew from the injured ship engineer. The detained crew were not getting adequate ration and food. The drinking water that was being given to them was not adequate either. They were in distress. Hunger made some of the crewmembers to turn violent. We have informed Paradip Port Trust about the sorry plight of the ship crew,” said Patel.

The marine police have registered a case under sections 341, 323, 307 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, he added.

“The merchant ship had met with mid-sea collision with another vessel MV Alfat. The owner of MV Alfat, which suffered damages following the collision, had moved the admiralty court at Calcutta. On the directive of the court, the vessel was disallowed to move out of PPT anchorage from September 2010,” said Gouri Chandra Biswal, deputy conservator of Paradip Port Trust.

“According to international marine law, the ship had committed an offence by colliding with another vessel and causing damage to it. The collision had occurred along the Bangladesh coast. The owner of the ship, which had been damage, had moved the admiralty court. When the court’s ruling that the errant ship should be stopped from making sea voyage was communicated to us, we detained it along with its crewmembers last September,” said Biswal.

He added that the port trust was aware of the plight of the stranded crew. “But it (the port trust) is not duty-bound to assist them. According to the admiralty court ruling, the ship’s owner, who had moved the court seeking compensation, ought to have provided them with food and water. The private farm engaged by the complainant ship owner to supply ration and water to the stranded crewmembers might be neglecting its duty,” Biswal said.