23 Indian sailors stuck in China to return on Jan 14: Union Minister Mandaviya

Twenty-three Indian sailors stuck in China will return on January 14, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday. cargo ship MV Jag Anand is set to sail towards Chiba in Japan, Mandaviya said.

On December 30, 2020, he had said that Indian sailors stuck in China will be brought back soon as diplomatic talks are on with neighbouring country.Two cargo vessels with Indian sailors on board have been on anchor in Chinese waters as y were t allowed to unload ir cargo, though some or ships have mand to do so.

Diplomatic talks are going on for this successfully. Our seafarers will come to India soon, Mandaviya had said in reply to a query about sailors being stuck in China for last seven months during a Cabinet briefing.

China on December 25 had said that re is 'link' between stranded Indian ship crew on its Chinese ports and its strained relations with India and Australia. statement had come a day after External Affairs Ministry had said that two cargo vessels with a total of 39 Indians on board have been on anchor in Chinese waters as y were t allowed to unload ir cargo.

re is a considerable amount of stress on crew members on account of this unprecedented situation,External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said.Srivastava said bulk cargo vessel MV Jag Anand is on anchor near Jingtang port in Hebei province of China since June 13 and it has 23 Indian sailors.

Ar vessel, MV Anastasia with 16 Indian nationals as its crew, is on anchor near Caofeidian port in China since September 20, waiting for discharge of its cargo, he had said at a media briefing.

Our Embassy in Beijing has been in constant touch with provincial and central government authorities in China, requesting that ships be allowed to dock and/or crew be allowed to be changed, he had said.

Asked about India's concern relating to Indian crew members of ships and wher China’s decision on this issue has related to current situation between India, China and Australia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had last week told a media briefing that we stated repeatedly that China has clear stipulations on quarantine measures.

"Concerning this, China has stayed in close communication with Indian side and responding to ir requests as well as providing necessary assistance for m," he had said.

As far as I understand, China allows crew change while meeting certain quarantine conditions. But this Jingtang port is t in list for such crew changes, he had said but did t refer to 16 crew members of Caofeidian port.

China last month had blamed freight forwarder of Jag Anand ship for impasse, saying he is t letting ship to leave. 

(IM CREDITS:PTI)