All the Indian sailors on board the Portuguese flagged vessel MSC Aries have been released, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on May 3. This information was shared by Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a telephone conversation with his Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna. The ship also had several Estonian crew members, and the Iranian side said crew belonging to multiple nationalities have been released on humanitarian grounds.
“Amirabdollahian said the ship, which turned off its radar in the territorial waters of Iran and endangered the security of navigation, is detained under judicial rules. He however noted that Iran has already released all the ship’s crew members on humanitarian grounds, and if the ship’s captain accompanies them, the crew including the Estonians can return to their country,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran in a press release. Of the 25 crew members 17 are Indian nationals.
