The KEVER, a general‑cargo vessel owned by a Belgian firm, sailed from Mumbai on February 25, 2024, with Mishra as chief officer. After transiting Iranian and Omani waters, it docked at Karachi on April 17, where Pakistani customs seized the ship amid a dispute over a pending cargo claim by an Iranian shipping company.
The seizure triggered a cascade of shortages: the power feed to the vessel was cut, leaving crew members without electricity, and the ship’s galley was reduced to two biscuits a day. Mishra’s wife, Neha, reports that the crew only receives meals at 4 p.m. and 11 p.m., while water supplies are limited to a few liters per day.
Mishra’s passport and those of the five other Indian seafarers were confiscated, and all visas have expired since the contract’s end in August 2024. The crew cannot be signed off, and they are not permitted to disembark, leading to a humanitarian crisis at sea.
The Mishra family has approached the Indian Embassy in Karachi, then flown to Delhi, where they have filed formal complaints with the Ministry of External Affairs, the President’s office, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office. Neha Mishra says the family has received assurances but no tangible action.
Prime Minister Modi’s office has yet to issue a directive, and the Ministry of External Affairs has called for a diplomatic dialogue with Pakistani authorities. Negotiations are reportedly at a standstill as the crew’s passports remain in Pakistani custody, leaving the six Indians in limbo.