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Sixteen Indian crew members of an oil tanker have returned home after being in detention in Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria for about nine months after lengthy negotiations by Indian authorities.
The Indians were part of the 26-member crew of MT Heroic Idun, which was detained in international waters in August 2022 by the navy of Equatorial Guinea. The detention was made on the basis of a request from Nigeria. After being held in Equatorial Guinea for some time, the crew were taken to Nigeria.
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The ship and crew were accused of various crimes, including oil theft and falsely accusing the Nigerian navy of piracy. Besides the 16 Indians, the ship’s crew included eight Sri Lankans, a Polish national and a Filipino.
The Indian side took up the matter with foreign authorities at various levels, including through the country’s missions in Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria and at bilateral meetings, people familiar with the matter said. The foreign authorities were pressed for an early resolution of the matter and repatriation of the Indian crew, the people said, declining to be named.
Following interventions with the Nigerian government, the crew were allowed to remain on board the ship instead of being taken to a detention centre on land, and were provided with food and other supplies.
The crew were allowed periodic contact with their families. Indian officials remained in regular touch with the crew and undertook consular access on many occasions, the people said.
The Indian authorities worked with the shipping company to arrange legal representation for the crew. The Indian side also highlighted to Nigerian authorities that there had been no oil theft and that necessary permissions had been accorded for the cargo carried by the vessel, the people said.
The Nigerian authorities were also informed that the crew were not privy to decisions regarding the ship’s operations and, at the same time, the Indian side highlighted the humanitarian issues of some crew members.
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“Following lengthy negotiations, all charges against the crew were dropped and the ship was released on May 27 after paying of fines,” one of the people said. “The Indian crew members have now returned to India.”