Woman, Part Of Indian Crew On Board Ship Seized By Iran, Returns Home

New Delhi:

An Indian sailor who was among the crew of a cargo ship that was seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 has safely reached home, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said today.

“With the concerted efforts of the Indian mission in Tehran and the Iranian government, Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, who was among the Indian crew members of container vessel MSC Aries, has landed safely at Cochin International Airport,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

“The Indian mission in Tehran remains seized of the matter and is in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members of the container vessel. The crew members are in good health and in contact with their family members in India,” the MEA said in a statement.

Indian deck cadet Ms. Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, a member of the crew on vessel MSC Aries returned home today. @India_in_Iran, with the support of Iranian authorities, facilitated her return. Mission is in touch with Iranian side to ensure the well being of the… pic.twitter.com/iE932Y4F4y

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) April 18, 2024

The government said India is also in touch with Iranian authorities for ensuring the well-being of the remaining crew members.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian on the matter.

After Ms Joseph landed in India, Mr Jaishankar in a post on X said, “Great work, Indian mission in Iran. Glad that Ms Ann Tessa Joseph has reached home. Modi ki guarantee always delivers, at home or abroad.”

The seizure of the vessel comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. There are apprehensions of an Israeli counterattack on Iran, which had launched 300 missiles at Israel. Before that, Israel struck the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Syria’s Damascus almost. Seven people, including two Generals, were killed in the airstrike.

Iran has said the vessel is “related to the Zionist regime (Israel) in the Gulf”. Two websites that track shipping traffic, vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, had said MSC Aries is a Portuguese-flagged container ship and its last reported position was in the Gulf.