India Seeks Consular Access to 6 Sailors Stranded in Pakistan
"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.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government was in touch with the shipping company and was working to resolve the matter.
At his regular media briefing, Jaiswal described the situation as a "commercial issue between the shipping company/ship owner and the employees".
He said the stranded seafarers "cannot just leave the ship" until a replacement crew arrives to take over their duties.
Meanwhile, the government said it had issued emergency travel documents to another Indian seafarer from Kerala, Akshay Hareesh, who was stranded in Iran after reportedly losing his passport and Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC).
Jaiswal said the Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas had received a call from Hareesh on November 9, during which he informed officials that he had joined the merchant vessel Plam Marine (IMO No. 8954532) in Japan in 2025.
Upon the vessel's arrival at Chabahar port in Iran, the captain informed him that his passport and CDC had been lost, following which he was disembarked.
Hareesh subsequently stayed at Bandar Lengeh, where the vessel's owner was providing him accommodation and food.
"Our Mission is already in regular contact with the Indian national and continues to extend all possible assistance," Jaiswal said.
The consulate contacted the vessel's owner and agent and explained the formalities for issuing an Emergency Certificate.
"We have issued him the EC and are making all efforts to facilitate his early return to India," Jaiswal said.