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India has made a formal consular request to Pakistan and is actively engaging with shipping operators to resolve the plight of six Indian seafarers stranded aboard a vessel at Karachi Port for over six months, the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
Addressing a weekly media briefing in the national capital, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified that the prolonged delay stems from an employment and crewing dispute between the sailors and the ship's owner, as maritime regulations prevent crew members from disembarking until a replacement team arrives. "It is actually a matter between the owner of the ship and the employees who are on the ship. You cannot just leave the ship. A replacement crew has to come before you leave," Jaiswal explained. Confirming that New Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and coordinating across multiple stakeholders, the spokesperson noted that diplomatic channels with Islamabad have also been activated alongside direct talks with the employer. "We have been in touch with these people there, as well as with the employerthe shipping company and their agent and we are trying to resolve this issue. We have also made a consular request to the Pakistani side. But essentially, it is a commercial issue between the shipping company and the employees," he added. The MEA's remarks come amid heightened focus on the welfare of Indian mariners abroad, with the ministry also confirming on Friday that an emergency travel certificate has been issued to repatriate another stranded Indian seafarer, Akshay Harish, from Chabahar Port in Iran. Harish, a native of Prakkulam in Kollam, has been left stranded in Iran without a passport or travel documents following a series of disruptions involving his shipping vessel, regional conflict, and missing paperwork. Addressing concerns over his safety, Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the Consulate in Bandar Abbas intervened immediately after Harish contacted the mission on November 9. "The well-being and safety of our Indian seafarers are of high importance to us. Our mission in Tehran and our consulate in Bandar Abbas have already reached out to Akshay Harish, a seafarer," Jaiswal said during the media briefing. Following the completion of required formalities, Indian authorities issued an emergency certificate to facilitate his repatriation. "Accordingly, he applied for an emergency certificate, and that emergency certificate has now been issued to Akshay. With that, he is now ready to travel back home. And we are making all efforts so that he can return home, return to India, to Keralam, as early as possible. In this regard, we are in close contact with his employer," the MEA spokesperson added. Akshay joined the shipping company on December 5, 2025, through a recruiting agency based in Palakkad, initially boarding a ship from Japan. According to his family, he had anticipated a short 35-day stint without connectivity. However, upon reaching an Iranian port after roughly 35-36 days, the crew prepared for their first sail toward Dubaicoinciding precisely with the eruption of war in Iran. While their first trip to Pakistan for transporting rice went smoothly, the second voyage ran into severe legal and administrative roadblocks. Pakistani port authorities confiscated the passports and Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs) of the cabin crew, chief engineer, and captain, citing issues with the captain's certificates and imposing heavy fines. Faced with the imminent threat of her son being stranded indefinitely, Akshay's mother approached local and national leaders for urgent intervention. MLA and Minister Bindu Krishna stepped into the matter, writing directly to Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Keralam's Special Representative in Delhi, and the Indian Embassy in Iran. Complaints were also submitted to MP Kodikunnil Suresh and Union Minister Suresh Gopi. Following concerted efforts by Gopi, Bindu Krishna, and G Devarajan, the diplomatic channels swung into action. The case has been formally taken up with the Iranian Ambassador, and officials from the Indian Embassy are slated to meet Akshay in person to issue temporary travel documents. (ANI)
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