S. Korean sailors to be freed next week from captivity in Abu Dhabi

South Korean sailors who have been held in Abu Dhabi for over two months for failing to pay back for fuel for their cargo ship are expected to return home next week, government sources said Saturday.
Twenty sailors -- four South Korean and 16 Filipino -- have been held inside the cargo ship at a port in the United Arab Emirates since May 20 in sweltering temperatures hovering over 50 degrees Celsius.
The 16,000-ton freighter Pan Bless was detained as a local fuel supplier seized it through the port authorities due to overdue payment.
A South Korean firm that owns the ship, which filed for court receivership in early April due to worsening management conditions, reportedly has no financial means to repay the cost for fuel, the sources said.
South Korea's government agencies, including the foreign ministry, have been working to help bring back the South Korean sailors through consultations with their counterparts in the UAE.
Source: Yonhap