21 Indian sailors caught at Mykolaiv port in war-hit Ukraine: Shipping company

By PTI

MUMBAI: As many as 21 Indian sailors on board a service provider ship are caught for fairly a while on the Port of Mykolaiv in war-hit Ukraine however all of them are “safe” and in “regular contact” with their households and the ship manning company, based on the company founder and CEO Sanjay Prashar.

Prashar mentioned that 24 different ships are additionally docked on the port and have Indian sailors onboard as effectively.

MV Maritime (the ship manning company) is watchful of the developments and holding all authorities involved within the loop together with the External Affairs Ministry, the Indian Embassy and sector regulator Director General of Shipping, he mentioned.

DG Shipping Amitabh Kumar was not accessible for feedback.

The crew has not come out of the vessel because the conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine late final month and a strict vigil is being maintained on the ship, Prashar mentioned.

“Presently the vessel is berthed at Port Mykolaiv itself. There are a total of 25 ships, including ours. There are other ships which have got Indian seafarers. As far as our ship is concerned, both the crew and ship are presently safe.”

“The internet and satellite communication onboard are working. We are at present in touch with all the crew and their families. Also, the crew themselves are also in direct touch with their family members,” Prashar instructed PTI.

He mentioned that as per info accessible with the corporate, the Port shouldn’t be working and the “Russian forces probably are very close to the Port on the Black Sea coast”, he mentioned.

“If the Russian forces come into the Port they usually permit couple of ships to go away then it’s advantageous.

Otherwise, we would want some help from the port authority, together with some tug boats and different kinds of companies to permit the vessel to soundly depart,” he mentioned.

Prashar mentioned in an emergency, if the corporate should evacuate its crew, the closest Poland border is 900 km far and going to some protected location in Kyiv would imply a journey of 500 km from the port metropolis, including “so for them to reach any of these two places right now is not possible.”

“We are very watchful. So, instead of staying in a bunker or inside Ukraine anywhere else, the expert and the Master judgement is better stay on board,” he added.

Nevertheless, the corporate is submitting a standing report back to the Indian Embassy every single day, he said.

He additionally mentioned there are a few different businesses which are concerned on this concern such because the International Water Transport Federation (IWTF) and the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI).

According to IWTF Executive Board Member and NUSI General Secretary Abdulgani Serang, his affiliation is in fixed contact with its Ukrainian counterpart over the difficulty.