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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that it is in close touch with the family members of the two Indian nationals who remain missing after the vessel MV AG N Ragnar came under attack while leaving Ukraine's Odesa port on July 25.
Speaking at the bi-weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said four Indian crew members were on board the vessel when it was attacked. "This particular ship came under attack on 25th July as it was leaving Odesa port. There are four Indians on board the ship as part of the crew. Two of them are safe, as I informed earlier. Two of them are missing," Jaiswal said. He said search and rescue operations have been carried out by both the Ukrainian and Romanian authorities. "Search and rescue operations have been carried out both on the Ukrainian side as well as on the Romanian side. We remain in close touch with both the Ukrainian side and the Romanian side to see if we can get some results," he said. Jaiswal added that the government is also extending assistance to the families of the missing Indian nationals. "We have also been in touch with the family members of the two Indian nationals who are missing, and we are offering all possible support to them," he said. On the broader issue of Indian seafarers operating in the Black Sea region, the MEA said it does not have an exact estimate of the number of Indian nationals serving on vessels in the area. "I don't have an exact detail. We were thinking of getting more details, but I'm not sure whether we have Indian-flagged vessels in that area," Jaiswal said. He, however, said that 13 Indian nationals are currently on board the Tanzania-flagged vessel MV Amiri 1, and the Indian Embassy is maintaining close contact with them. "On this particular ship, the MV Amiri 1, which is Tanzania-flagged, we have 13 Indian nationals, and our embassy is in close touch with them to ensure their well-being," he added. Responding to a separate question on Saudi Arabia's initiative to form an international alliance in the Red Sea to protect shipping and prevent attacks, Jaiswal said India did not participate in the meeting. He reiterated India's longstanding position in support of freedom of navigation. "Regarding navigation and transit through international waterways, our position from the beginning has been that we support free navigation through any international waterway. As for the recent developments and activities in West Asia, we are constantly monitoring and following them. Regarding the meeting in Saudi Arabia, we did not participate in it," he said. (ANI)
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