NEW DELHI: Ann Tessa Joseph, a woman deck cadet who was among the 17 Indian sailors on board MSC Aries vessel that was seized by Iran, returned home on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
“Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, landed in Cochin airport on Thursday afternoon. This was a result of the concerted efforts of the Indian mission in Tehran and the Iranian government,’’ the MEA said.
The Indian mission in Iran is in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members of the container vessel. They are in good health and in touch with their families back home in India. They are expected to return to India soon, the ministry said. “The Indians are free and not under any arrest. They can return to India and are under the command of their Captain,’’ said an Iranian source.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards on April 13 seized the Israeli-affiliated container ship (MSC Aries) carrying 17 Indian crew members, in the latest escalation in West Asia’s spiralling tensions.
Earlier, an official from Iran had said that the 17 Indian sailors are free and not under arrest. “We are in touch with the Indian Ambassador in Iran and would like to reaffirm that their condition is good. The only reason that they have not been able to reach the shore is due to bad weather conditions. None of the Indian sailors are under arrest,’’ said a source from Iran.
The Indian government was constantly in touch with Iran to press for their release. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart H Amirabdollahian and pressed for the release of these 17 Indians. “I spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdolahian and took up the release of 17 Indians in MSC Aires. We discussed the situation in the region and stressed the importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint and returning to diplomacy,” Jaishankar had said on Sunday, adding that he would remain in touch with Amirabdolahian.
He also had a conversation with Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in which he shared concern at the developments. “We discussed the larger regional situation and agreed to stay in touch,” he said.
MSC Aires was sailing from the UAE to Mumbai, according to maritime analytics provider Marine Traffic. Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Jaishankar to ensure the safety of the nationals.
Stressed importance of avoiding escalation
EAM S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart H Amirabdollahian and pressed for the release of these 17 Indians. “We stressed the importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint and returning to diplomacy,” Jaishankar had said.
