Detained sailors to be shifted to Nigeria; India to intervene

The 26 sailors, including 16 Indians - the crew of the Norway ship Heroic Idun, have been detained by the navy of Guinea, a West African country, allegedly for crossing their sea boundaries: Manorama Online

New Delhi: Indian sailors who were detained in Equatorial Guinea after being suspected of crude oil have been shifted to Nigeria, Manorama News reported,

Three Keralites are among the 15 who were onboard the Norwegian vessel MT Heroic Idun. They are Kochi natives Sanu Joseph and Milton, and Nilamel native Vijith.

Vijith is the brother of Vismaya, who committed suicide owing to dowry harassment. In a video aired by Manorama TV, Vijith said that the Navy has confiscated their phones.

A few sailors can also be seen in the video, all pleading for help from Indian authorities. In addition to the 16 Indians, there are 10 others aboard the vessel.

It was on August 8, when MT Heroic Idun was anchored on the international maritime border of Nigeria after experiencing technical issues, that the vessel was detained by Guinea Navy.

The Guinean move came on the behest of Nigeria, which suspected that the vessel had arrived to steal crude oil.

Though the Norwegian company had reached out with a monetary offering to see its crew released, the Navy did not budge.

Meanwhile, India has begun concerted efforts to see its citizens brought back safely.

The External Affairs Ministry and the Embassy of India are currently holding talks with the concerned authorities, said V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs.

“We hope to bring the crew to their homelands directly from Guinea. We have also held talks with the Government of Nigeria,” the minister said.

The Kerala Chief Minister’s Office has also assured Vijith's family that the state government would intervene and try to bring back the Keralites.

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