new Delhi. India has urged China to provide immediate help in a timely manner to Indian sailors stranded in two ships stuck for months near its ports. 39 Indian sailors are stranded on two cargo vessels. Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Shrivastava said that the ship of India’s Great Bulk Vessel Company Great Eastern Shipping, Jag Anand, has been anchored near Jingtang Port in China since June 13, 2020. It has 23 Indian sailors, while another ship named MV Anestasia has been waiting near China’s Cofedian Port since September 20, 2020. It also has 16 Indian sailors.
Both these vessels are not getting permission to unload cargo for various reasons. Due to the passage of time, there is a lot of frustration among the shipmen and they are in very difficult times. The Government of India is in touch with China at all levels to allow these two ships to serve cargo there and until such arrangements are made, Indian shipmen should be given all necessary help. The Ambassador has also taken up the issue with China’s Foreign Ministry and local authorities. There has also been a demand to allow the crews deployed on these ships to replace them. The Indian Ambassador has personally raised this issue with the Deputy Foreign Minister of China.
Permission not given due to corona
The Chinese side was earlier told that due to the corona, ships are not being allowed to change. There is an indication about the Jag Anand ship that its crews may be allowed to divert to the nearby Tianjin port. For this, the ship company will have to apply afresh. India has informed the ship company about this. The Indian embassy is also helping the ship company to get permission to go to Tianjin Port. Regarding the ship Anastasia, a foreign ministry spokesperson said that an option is being taken to allow it to replace the staff working in the ship by taking it to another nearby port.
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