MEA: Working on release of detained Indian crew

New Delhi, November 7

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said it is closely monitoring developments and is actively engaged for an early resolution of the illegal detention of 16 Indian crew members of MT Heroic Idun in Equatorial Guinea.

Raising the issue, two MPs — AA Rahim and V Sivadasan — have requested Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar to urgently intervene in the matter. The Indian embassy in Equatorial Guinea said since their detention in mid-August, it had been in regular contact with the crew members over the phone. It had also consular access to them. All crew members were safe and those in the detention centre had been shifted to the ship, it added.

The 16 Indian sailors, part of the 26-member crew of a ship detained in Equatorial Guinea on the west coast of central Africa, have appealed for help to be released from “unlawful” detention.

According to a statement released by the sailors, the Norwegian-flagged MT Heroic Idun “was arrested by the Equatorial Guinea naval ship in international waters on August 12, 2022”. The ship was “brought to Luba port in Equatorial Guinea under naval escort and threat of lethal action against the vessel and crew, if orders are not complied (with) on August 14, 2022”, the statement read.

The ship was supposed to load a cargo of crude oil in Nigeria’s AKPO terminal on August 8, but the loading operation was delayed and the ship never had any operations in Nigeria.