India presses Iran for consular access to crew of seized oil tanker

India has urged Iran to allow consular access to the 16 Indian crew members on board the oil tanker MT Valiant Roar which was seized by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on December 8 on charges of smuggling fuel. The two other crew members are a Bangladeshi and a Sri Lankan national. The oil tanker is operated by the Dubai-based Glory International FZ-LLC.

India seeks early consular access

The Indian Embassy in Tehran, in a statement on Saturday (January 17), said that the Consulate of India in Bandar Abbas immediately (on 14 December) wrote to the Government of Iran seeking Consular Access to the crew.

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“The request for consular access has been repeated numerous times since then, both by diplomatic correspondence and in-person meetings in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, including at the level of the Ambassador. The Iranian authorities were also requested to allow the crew to communicate with their families in India,” it added.

Tanker-owner urged to ensure food supply

The Indian authorities have also reached out to the UAE-based company that owns the ship on December 15, urging them to ensure the continued supply of food, water and fuel for the ship and to arrange legal representation for the Indian crew members in Iranian courts.

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“The Consulate also established contact with the UAE-based company that owns the ship on 15 December, and has subsequently been in touch with the Iran-based agents of the company, to press upon the company to ensure provision of food, water and fuel for the ship, and also to arrange legal representation for the crew in Iranian courts,” stated the release.

‘Swift conclusion of judicial process’

“The matter is expected to be subject to judicial process in Iran. However, the Mission and the Consulate continue to press the Iranian authorities to grant early consular access to the crew, and to ensure expeditious completion of the judicial proceedings,” it added.

The statement comes after the relatives of the Indian crew members sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the matter.

Crew member’s father appeals to PM

Earlier, the father of one of the Indian crew members detained in Iran has appealed to Indian authorities to step in and secure his son’s release.

Mukesh Mehta told PTI that his son, Ketan, was serving as a third engineer on board the oil tanker MT Valiant Roar, which is operated by Prime Tanker LLC, Dubai.

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The vessel was reportedly intercepted last month at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, after which Ketan and other crew members were taken into custody by Iranian authorities, he said. Since learning of his son’s detention, the family has been living in a state of fear and uncertainty, Mukesh Mehta added.

He said his son had been working overseas only to earn an honest living and had not committed any offence or violated any law. He urged the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Directorate General of Shipping to intervene urgently and pursue immediate diplomatic steps to ensure the safe and early release of his son and the remaining crew members.

(With agency inputs)