India has requested consular access to six of its citizens working on an Iranian cargo ship that has been stranded at Karachi Port since April, 24NewsHD TV reported on Saturday. According to diplomatic sources, the six Indian nationals are sailors serving in the Indian Merchant Navy and are currently aboard the Iranian cargo ship MV Koveir.
The ship, registered with Iran’s Koveir Shipping Company, arrived at Karachi Port on April 17 but has remained there due to an alleged commercial and legal dispute between its owner company and the port authorities. The matter has also reached the Sindh High Court, sources said.
The vessel has now been at Karachi Port for around seven months, with the six sailors remaining on board throughout that period and unable to disembark. According to the reports, they have not been able to leave Pakistan since the ship arrived in April, while the dispute over the vessel continues.
Indian media have identified one of the six sailors as Vineet Kishore Mishra, a chief officer in the Merchant Navy who belongs to Prayagraj in India’s Uttar Pradesh state. The other sailors have not been named in the reports so far.
Request to check on welfare
Diplomatic sources said India had formally requested access to its citizens to check on their welfare and provide consular assistance. The request was made through diplomatic channels after the sailors remained aboard the vessel for months without being able to leave, and it would allow Indian officials to meet the sailors, check on their welfare and offer them consular assistance.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had also confirmed that the Indian government was in contact with its citizens. He did not give further details about the talks between the two sides over the sailors’ situation.
The issue has drawn attention as the six sailors have been unable to leave Pakistan since the vessel’s arrival in Karachi in April. Their continued stay aboard the ship depends on the outcome of the dispute between the ship’s owner company and the port authorities, which is now before the Sindh High Court.
