Secure release of MT Heroic Idun crew, says Rahul

Rahul Gandhi, MP, has sought the quick intervention of the Central government to secure the release of Indian sailors of the crude oil vessel MT Heroic Idun, who have been detained in Equatorial Guinea.

In separate letters to Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Mr. Gandhi said the crew members, including 16 Indian nationals on the vessel, were detained in Equatorial Guinea in August 2022, including chief officer of the vessel Sanu Jose.

Parents of the sailors, including Leela Jose, mother of Sanu Jose, had requested the urgent intervention of Mr. Gandhi to secure the release of the sailors.

Mr. Gandhi said he had spoken to the family members of the sailors, and that they had expressed serious concern about the possibility of the crew members being held for an extended period by the Nigerian authorities.

Hence, quick action in accordance with India’s obligations under the international law was the need of the hour to expedite the release of the sailors, he added.