An agonising wait has finally come to an end for the crew of the Malaviya Twenty.

For months, the crew of the Indian-owned offshore supply vessel had been stranded in Great Yarmouth, but now, they are finally on their way home.

The 12-strong crew had been unpaid since July, due to financial issues being suffered by the company that owned it.

However, the vessel has since been placed under arrest by the admiralty courts, bringing light to the end of the tunnel for the crew.

Yesterday, the big day for the crew arrived, as in the company of Great Yarmouth port chaplain Peter Paine and Paul Keenan of the International Transport Workers' Federation, they set off to Heathrow airport for the long journey home.

It was laughter and tears as the crew set off to see their homes and their families for the first time in an agonising eight months.