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All nine Indian seafarers aboard chemical tanker YARA J are safe, and the vessel has reached Romania's Port of Constanta, the Indian Embassy in Bucharest stated on Saturday.
The confirmation came after India's Ambassador to Romania, Manoj Mohapatra, spoke with Romanian authorities and the tankers Company Security Officer (CSO). In a statement shared on X, the diplomatic mission noted, "Amb. Manoj Mohapatra spoke with Romanian authorities, including SAR Romania and MRCC Constanta, as well as the CSO of the chemical tanker YARA J (IMO: 9221803). It was confirmed that all nine Indian seafarers on board are safe and the vessel has arrived at the Port of Constanta. The Ambassador assured them of the Government of India's full support and assistance." Previously, the Embassy indicated that three Indian citizens who had been rescued from the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov following an attack in the Black Sea had left Romania to return home. According to posts published by the Embassy on X, "Three Indian nationals, Shri Sahil Sandhu, Shri Ashwini Kumar and Shri Harman Singh, departed for India today. The Embassy provided all necessary support and assistance to facilitate their return." The Embassy further conveyed its appreciation, adding, "We express our sincere gratitude to the Romanian authorities, Constanta County Hospital, and the Romanian rescue teams for their invaluable assistance, cooperation and support." Those three individuals had been rescued from the vessel on October 6. On October 7, New Delhi strongly condemned assaults directed at commercial vessels throughout the Black Sea corridor, renewing appeals for dialogue and diplomatic engagement to reduce regional friction and restore peace. Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised that strikes targeting commercial shipping imperil maritime trade and place seafarers in grave danger. Jaiswal stated, "We have seen a string of attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Black Sea region in the last one or two days. We condemn such attacks that threaten commercial shipping and endanger the lives of our seafaring community. First, the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov came under attack while it was sailing in the Black Sea. There were three Indian nationals on board. All of them are safe, but one of them got injured, and he is receiving treatment. We thank the Romanian authorities, who lent us a helping hand and have been very helpful in this particular incident." (ANI)
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