NEW DELHI — India has formally approached Pakistan seeking consular access to an Indian merchant navy officer who remains stranded aboard a vessel at Karachi port alongside five crew members after months of commercial deadlock.
Efforts are underway to break the logistical freeze. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced the diplomatic outreach during his bi-weekly media briefing on Friday, confirming that New Delhi is actively pushing both Islamabad and the vessel’s owners to resolve the stalemate.
The seafarers cannot simply walk off the ship. Under international maritime protocols, crew members must remain stationed aboard until their employer dispatches designated relief personnel to take charge of the vessel.
Family members of the merchant navy officer have spent months appealing directly to Indian authorities to secure his repatriation. The vessel has sat berthed in Karachi waters while wage and operational friction between the operating firm and its personnel dragged on.
Jaiswal made clear that while diplomatic channels are open, the core bottleneck remains an unresolved contract dispute between the crew and their employer.
Regarding the merchant people on the ship, which is in Karachi, it is actually a matter between the owner of the ship and these people who are on it. I mean, these employees who are on the ship, you cannot just leave the ship. So, a replacement crew has to come before you leave.
Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs
Consular access remains pending across the border.
New Delhi has established direct communication lines with the marooned crew while pressing the shipping firm and its local handling agents to meet their obligations.
| Case Parameter | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel Location | Active Berthed | Karachi Port, Pakistan |
| Affected Personnel | 6 Seafarers | 1 Indian merchant navy officer, 5 crew members |
| Duration of Standoff | Unresolved | Several months |
| Diplomatic Action | Lodged | Consular access request filed with Pakistan |
| Core Bottleneck |
Jaiswal emphasized that diplomatic staff are working both ends of the crisis to extract the crew.
We have been in touch with these people there, also with their employer, as in the shipping company and their agent, and we are trying to resolve this issue. We've also asked the Pakistani side for a consular request. But essentially, it's an issue, a commercial issue, between the shipping company and the employees.
Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs
The External Affairs Ministry awaits an official response from Pakistani authorities regarding the consular request while pushing the shipping company to name and transport a replacement crew to Karachi immediately.
| Commercial |
| Employer failure to dispatch replacement crew |