Govt: Sailors stuck in China to return soon

NEW DELHI: Twenty-three Indian sailors stranded in Chinese waters for almost seven months are set to return home after a crew change was arranged for their vessel at a Japanese port, minister of state for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday.

A total of 39 Indian seafarers have been stranded on the MV Jag Anand and MV Anastasia off two Chinese ports for months, and India had been exploring several options to bring them back.

The situation is believed to be the outcome of the China-Australia trade row - both vessels were carrying Australian coal and weren’t allowed to discharge their cargo.

The 23 Indians on MV Jag Anand are now expected to return next week, though there was no official word on the status of the 16 Indians on MV Anastasia.

“Our Seafarers stuck in China are coming back to India! Ship M.V. Jag Anand, having 23 Indian crews, stuck in China, is set to sail toward Chiba, Japan to carry out crew change...This could only happen due to strong leadership of [Prime Minister] @NarendraModiji,” Mandaviya said in a tweet. The seafarers are expected to reach Chiba port on January 14, and will fly back to India after the completion of procedures related to Covid-19 protocols, Mandaviya said.

The minister said he appreciated the humanitarian approach of Great Eastern Shipping Company, the owner of MV Jag Anand, towards the sailors and for “standing by them in this crucial time”.

India had on Friday said it had again taken up with China the issue of bringing back all 39 stranded sailors and was awaiting a response from Beijing and shipping companies to various options for handling the matter.

Among these options was seeking early approval from China for a crew change, as is being done in the case of MV Jag Anand. Chinese authorities have outlined detailed steps for a crew change in view of the country’s strict pandemic control and prevention measures, and these have to be complied with by the shipping companies, the external affairs ministry had said.