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The Delhi High Court has issued announcement to the Union authorities portion hearing a plea by household members of 16 Indian seafarers who were detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) connected December 8. At the time, they were connected a vessel in planetary waters disconnected the Dibba larboard adjacent Dubai.
“This petition is by the household members of sixteen Indian nationals who person been detained successful the Islamic Republic of Iran, for directions to the respondent-Union of India to instrumentality steps to supply consular entree to the detained persons and to unafraid timely completion of probe and their repatriation to India,” Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said successful an bid connected January 15, 2026.
‘No MEA assistance yet’
The petitioners accidental the seafarers person not got immoderate legal, financial, oregon consular assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), contempt repeated requests implicit the past month. They added that ten of the seafarers person been taken to Bandar Abbas prison, while eight remain onboard the vessel.
Consulate General of India successful Bandar Abbas said that, contempt requests, consular entree has not been granted by the Iranian authorities.
The substance has been posted for proceeding connected January 21, according to Gurinder Pal Singh, the counsel for the seafarers.
Comment |The Indian seafarer deserves amended successful choppy precocious seas
Confined and confiscated
“The petitioners person been detained without disclosing the grounds for detention oregon issuing immoderate ceremonial detention bid for implicit 30 days, successful usurpation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 to which some India and Iran are signatories,” the tribunal noted.
The families said that over the past month, the crew has been confined to a azygous messiness country of the vas and were allowed to usage the washroom lone nether equipped escort. All idiosyncratic belongings, mobile phones, laptops, and physics devices person been confiscated.
Till date, the Iranian authorities person not issued any formal detention bid nor disclosed the grounds for detention, rendering the continued custody arbitrary, illegal, and successful usurpation of planetary law, the petitioners said.
Illegally detained
The government’s counsel said that owed steps person been taken by the Centre, which volition further guarantee that each assistance is rendered to the petitioners for redressal of the grievance.
The petition said that the seafarers have remained illegally detained for over 30 days without any legal, financial or consular assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), contempt repeated representations.
Accused of smuggling diesel
The vessel MT Valiant Roar is owned by Glory International FZ LLC /Prime Tankers LLC, Dubai, besides referred to arsenic Global Tankers successful India. The petitioners person said that the vessel was carrying Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) but Iran has accused the seafarers of smuggling diesel. The cargo was loaded connected the subject vessel via ship-to-ship transfers implicit a play of clip and was originally loaded connected MT GLOBAL BEAUTY from Vitol at Fujairah Port, UAE sometime successful July 2024.
At the clip of the incident, the vas was operating in international waters adjacent Dibba Port, UAE. Following the cargo operations, the vas remained moored alongside its sister vessel, MT Coral Wave for respective days owed to a technical issue. Once repairs were completed, the vas yet unmoored on December 8, 2025 and was awaiting further navigational instructions.
Distressing voicemail
On December 8, the Master of the Vessel, Captain Vijay Kumar, sent a little but distressing voicemail to his member Captain Vinod Tanwar, 1 of the petitioners successful the case, stating that the vessel was being chased by the IRG while sailing successful planetary waters.
“That immediately thereafter, Petitioner No.1 (the member of Capt. Vijay Kumar) contacted the vessel’s relation successful Dubai, who verbally informed him that the vas had been intercepted by the IRG and that the unit members had been arrested and forcibly taken to Bandar e Jask, Iran. The vas was instructed by the Iranian Navy/Revolutionary Guards to little the aviator ladder for boarding which was lawfully refused by the Master, being afloat conscious of the vessel’s close of guiltless transition nether planetary maritime law.
“Thereafter, the Iranian Navy opened dense fire, causing disposable harm to the vas and apt injuries to the unit members. Upon boarding, Iranian naval unit physically assaulted and manhandled the unit members,” the petition said.
On December 12, the petitioners formally reported the incidental to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) via email and sought urgent involution and escalation to the MEA and the Embassy of India successful Tehran.
