Indian crew aboard Iranian tanker released in Gibraltar

New Delhi: In a breakthrough, the ministry of external affairs has confirmed that all 24 Indians (civilian sailors) on board Iranian oil tanker VLCC Grace 1 — which was earlier seized by Gibraltar authorities in coordination with Britain — have been released and are free to return to India.

Minister of state for external affairs V. Muraleedharan tweeted, “Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London (Indian High Commission) on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and  are free to return to India.”

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said earlier, “It’s a 24-member Indian  crew arrested by UK authorities. We had sought consular access. It was granted. A three-member team (of Indian diplomats) visited and met all the 24 crew members. What we saw was that the crew members were very calm and very composed and there was no sense of panic. They have been in regular touch with their family members. We assured them that the Government of India will take all necessary steps to ensure their early release and repatriation.”

British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith had said in New Delhi recently that the Iranian vessel captured by Gibraltar authorities was carrying two million barrels of oil bound for Syria against whom the European Union (EU) has imposed sanctions. The British High Commissioner had also said it was not upto the British Government but rather upto the Gibraltar  authorities to decide on release of the Indian crew on the captured Iranian vessel.

The British High Commissioner  had said he was intrigued by the claim of the vessel’s Indian captain (civilian sailor) that he was not  aware that there were EU sanctions against Syria.