Kerala Woman From Seized Ship Returns Home, 16 Indian Crew Members Remain

An Indian woman crew member from the seized cargo ship MSC Aries has returned home, while 16 other Indian sailors remain aboard. India is engaging with Iran to ensure their well-being and secure their release.

It is finally all smiles for the woman who conveyed distress when a Kerala woman returned home after being confined to seize ship for 27 days. The remaining 16 Indian crew members toiling for a long in the ship still have no way out.

She was a part of the 17-member Indian crew in the Israel-led cargo ship MSC Aries which was seized by Iran last week. However, the woman returned home safely and the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed this on Thursday.

On Thursday, Antessa Joseph, a youngster from Thrissur, reached Cochin International Airport after getting a helping hand from the Indian mission in Tehran. The support from the Iranian authorities made her return possible.

The MEA press release read, "The Indian Mission in Tehran is handling the case and is in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members who are still in the container vessel. The crew members are healthy and are speaking with their families in India."

It was further noted that the Indian mission is also engaging with Iranian authorities to ensure that safety of the fellow Indians who are still on the ship is well taken care of.

The MSC Aries (ship) was detained by Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the 13th of April in the Strait of Hormuz which is a strategic waterway. The team was a 25-member multi-national team comprising officers from India, Russia, Philippines and others.

The American-linked ship is seized, without the reason for that. This comes on top of the disrupted ties in the stalled efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.

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Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has held talks with his Iranian counterpart regarding the development after the recent tensions.

Indian crews' families apprehension had been the biggest issue and so they called for the government intervention to protect them and free them. With the arrival of one back, Delhi's initiatives to retrieve all the 16 Indians who were caught in the offshore skirmish continue.