New Delhi: Six Indian seafarers have been stranded for nearly seven months aboard the general cargo vessel KEVER at Karachi port in Pakistan, after the ship was detained following a dispute between its Iran-based owners, KEVER Shipping Company, and the Karachi port authorities, India Today reported. The vessel is berthed at Berth No. 21 at Karachi Port's West Wharf.
Source: India Today
A senior government official said on Thursday that all six seafarers are safe and that arrangements to replace them with relief crew members are awaiting formal clearance from the port authorities. The official said the vessel's manning agency has submitted the required request and the six replacement seafarers have completed the necessary formalities and are staying at a hotel in Pakistan, ready to board once clearance is granted, PTI reported.
Source: PTI via Illustrated Daily News
The official added that the matter is being monitored round the clock, with coordination maintained with the ship's owners and crew, and that letters have been sent to stakeholders including the Indian High Commission in Pakistan, with a copy to the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran division of the Ministry of External Affairs, PTI reported.
Source: PTI via Illustrated Daily News
Among the stranded crew is chief officer Vineet Kishore Mishra of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, who joined the ship on February 25 at Bandar Abbas anchorage in Iran. The vessel has been under court arrest since around April 29, after arriving at Karachi on April 17, and Mishra's family says his employment contract expired in August but he has not been permitted to sign off and travel home, The Times of India reported.
Source: The Times of India
Mishra wrote to the Indian embassy seeking urgent intervention, flagging a prolonged blackout, shortages of essential supplies and deteriorating health conditions on board, his family told The Times of India. The seafarers have alleged that their passports and seaman's books are held by the authorities or the vessel's agent, preventing them from arranging their own departure; the family said calls home last barely a few minutes when network connectivity is available. These allegations have not been independently verified.
Source: The Times of India
Mishra's wife Neha, his father Lalit Kishore Mishra, a retired Armyman, and other family members have travelled to Delhi and are staying at Paharganj as they seek meetings with senior officials. The family has appealed to the Prime Minister, the President and the Ministry of External Affairs, and says letters from an MP and an MLA have also been sent to the central government seeking intervention, The Times of India reported. For now, the crew's return depends on the port authorities clearing the relief crew to board, after which the six Indians can sign off and come home.
Source: The Times of India