Indian police arrested Mira’s Azerbaijani crew members trying to escape from the ship

Azerbaijani crew members of the ship Mira detained in the territorial waters of India cannot return home because their passports were seized by the court, which argues that the ship is in the open sea and therefore needs in a crew, Azerbaijani Ambassador to India Tamerlan Garayev told APA.

He said if the Turkish company, which owned the ship, would recruit other crew members the Azerbaijani sailors could receive back their documents and return home. Otherwise they need to wait until the end of trial. The ambassador said four Azerbaijani men tried to escape from the ship, but were arrested by police and returned to the ship. Garayev said they informed the foreign ministry of Azerbaijan, as well as Turkish embassy in India demanding to find the ship owners to send additional crew members to replace Azerbaijanis. “The ship belongs to Turkey. The captain and most of the crew members are Turkish. The Turkish ambassador said one of the owners said that he sold the ship as a scrap metal, but other owner disappeared. The problem is that the ship is owned by Turkish company, but floating under the Panama’s flag”.

Garayev said the crew members had food problems. The embassy representative was sent to the ship to learn their conditions and to assist them.

Mira was sent by its owner to India as a scrap metal instead of his debts. Later two other owners appeared and appealed the court to annul this contract.

Relatives of the Mira’s Azerbaijani crew members gathered outside the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and demanded to assist them to return home.

/APA/