India calls for early resolution as detained ship with 16 Indian sailors onboard reaches Nigeria

Days after 16 Indian sailors in the custody of Equatorial Guinea's navy appealed to the Indian government to help them return home, Equatorial Guinea's neighbour Nigeria released a detailed statement with fresh allegations and counter-clarifications. The ship Mt. Heroic Idun, carrying 16 Indian sailors as well as an unspecified number of sailors from Poland, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, has now been handed over to the Nigerian Navy by Equatorial Guinea, the Nigerian government said in a statement on Friday.

ALSO READ |16 Indian sailors 'unlawfully' detained in Equatorial Guinea for over three months

"The handover was carried out in Equatorial Guinea on November 6, 2022. It is now expected that the Vessel will return to Nigeria, for further investigations by the Nigerian Government," the statement said.

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At the time of filing this report, WION can confirm that the Mt. Heroic Idun has arrived at Nigeria's Bonny Terminal-II under naval escorts. The Nigerian navy is likely to issue a statement.

Nigeria has accused the vessel Mt. Heroic Idun of entering the restricted zone around an oilfield without authorisation, illegally attempting to load crude oil from Nigeria without appropriate documentation which, it said, 'is tantamount to economic sabotage'. Nigeria has also alleged that the ship with Indian sailors onboard falsely accused the Nigerian Navy ship of piracy.

The family members of detained Indian sailors have said that the vessel was told to leave the Nigerian waters by authorities citing they did not have prior information about their arrival. However, a family member of the ship's master Tanuj Mehta added, as the ship moved towards Equatorial Guinea, it was followed by a Nigerian Navy ship which issued an alert. As a result, the ship was detained when it arrived in Equatorial Guinea in mid-August, the concerned family member of detained Indian shipmaster said.

We are in touch with detained sailors: India

India's Ministry of External Affairs informed issued a statement on Saturday sayingthat it is constantly monitoring the developments in the Africa's West coast.

"Our missions in Malabo, which is the capital of Equatorial Guinea, and in Abuja of Nigeria, are closely engaged with their respective local authorities in this case. We are also in touch with the detained sailors," Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

"We have actually had several rounds of consular access to these sailors and we are making all efforts for the early resolution of this issue," he added.

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