Iran seized vessel: Indian sailor contacted family, says brother

Chennai: Since Iran seized the Israel-linked shipping vessel ‘MSC Aries’ three days ago, one among the 17 Indian sailors aboard was allowed to contact his brother on Monday evening, The Indian Express (TIE) reported.

Indian Embassy in Iran intervened to make development possible after the ship was seized from the strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman.

Micheal, the brother of one of the Indian men captured, told TIE that the sailor spoke for around 30 minutes on Monday evening. Iran seems to have allowed the sailors to use phones and laptops for an hour every day, following their requests, Micheal said.

He said that his brother assured his family that the Iranian authorities did not harm them. The ship has enough stock of food, which is anchored off the coast of Bandar Abbas Port. Micheal said that the crew is performing operational duties on board.

However, Micheal said that his family is worried about his safety as tensions in the region are on the brink of escalation. He hopes that Indian authorities will take immediate steps to rescue the Indians from the ship and is waiting for an immediate response from the Indian government.

The ship has a crew strength of 25 members, and it is owned by an Israeli businessman and flies a Portuguese flag. Among the 17 Indian sailors, four are Tamilians.

Iran captured the ship amid tensions between Israel and Iran, which reached a tipping point after the former attacked the latter’s embassy building in Damasus. The attack killed 16 people, including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s senior officials. The latter initiated a retaliation on Saturday, launching drones and missiles into Israeli territory.