China not letting 2 ships with 39 Indians onboard unload cargo for days; others allowed

India has said that it is in constant touch with the Chinese authorities regarding two cargo vessels stranded in China's ports with 39 Indians on board. The Ministry of External Affairs said that two cargo vessels with a total of 39 Indians on board have been anchored in Chinese waters as they were not allowed to unload their cargo though some other ships have managed to do so.

'The reasons for this are not clear'

"There is a considerable amount of stress on the crew members on account of this unprecedented situation," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

Srivastava said bulk cargo vessel MV Jag Anand is on anchorage near Jingtang port in Hebei province of China since June 13 and it has 23 Indian sailors. "Another vessel, MV Anastasia with 16 Indian nationals as its crew, is on anchorage near Caofeidian port in China since September 20, waiting for discharge of its cargo," he said at a media briefing.

"Our Embassy in Beijing has been in constant touch with provincial and central government authorities in China, requesting that the ships be allowed to dock and/or the crew be allowed to be changed," he said. The MEA spokesperson said the Chinese authorities have conveyed that crew change is not being permitted from the ports on account of Coronavirus-related restrictions imposed by the local authorities. 

"We also understand, however, that some other ships, which arrived after Indian ship had arrived, have actually managed to discharge cargo and leave. The reasons for this are not clear," he said, adding India has taken note of the Chinese foreign ministry's statement on Wednesday about the provision of necessary facilitation and assistance. 

"Our mission in Beijing continues to remain in touch with the Chinese authorities to seek their facilitation and assistance, which can lead to an early resolution of the issue and help ameliorate the situation of the crew," he said.

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China's statement on delay in releasing ships 

"In China, there are clear requirements on epidemic prevention and control at ports and on quarantine of crew members. These are all based on science. Local authorities have been in close communication with the Indian side. They have responded in a timely manner to the Indian side's appeals and provided necessary convenience and assistance while adhering to epidemic prevention rules," Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, at a regular ministry briefing on Wednesday said. 

News agency PTI citing media reports said Jag Anand along with 21 other ships with over 400 crew members carrying over USD 200 million Australian coal have been held up at Chinese ports due to the current political slugfest between China and Australia. Relations between Australia and China in the past few months nose-dived after Canberra barred Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies from its national 5G network over national security concerns.

China also resented Canberra's push for an international inquiry into the origins of the Coronavirus in April. Reports from Australia say China has been restricting a number of Australian exports, including coal. The Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times earlier reported that China had asked traders to stop buying at least seven categories of Australian products: coal, barley, copper ore and concentrate, sugar, timber, wine and lobsters.

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