India seeks consular access for 16 crew members of ship detained by Iran

The Indian Embassy in Tehran on Saturday urged Iranian authorities to grant consular access to 16 Indians who were part of a ship's crew and were detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on December 8.

The detained persons were aboard the vessel MT Valiant Roar, which is owned by Glory International FZ LLC / Prime Tankers LLC, Dubai, also referred to as Global Tankers in India.

The crew members were detained while the vessel was in international waters off the Dibba port near Dubai, PTI quoted their family members as saying. They added that the vessel was carrying Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil, but Iranian authorities have accused the crew of smuggling diesel.

In a statement posted on X, the embassy said: “Around mid-December 2025, the mission was informed about the detention of the vessel MT Valiant Roar by Iranian authorities, with 16 Indian crew members on board.”

It added that the Consulate of India in the port city of Bandar Abbas had written to the Iranian government on December 14 seeking consular access.

The embassy said that access had not been granted despite repeated requests since then. It added that the Indian Consulate in Dubai was also pressing the UAE-based ship-owning company for legal support for the crew, having first contacted the company on December 15.

“The Iranian authorities were also requested to allow the crew to communicate with their families in India,” the statement added.

It said that the consulate had been in touch with the Iran-based agents of the company to ensure the provision of food, water and fuel for the ship, and to arrange legal representation for the crew in Iranian courts.

The embassy added that the case would follow Iran's legal process. “However, the mission and the consulate continue to press the Iranian authorities to grant early consular access to the crew and to ensure expeditious completion of the judicial proceedings,” the statement said.

The embassy's statement came after family members of the 16 Indians approached the Delhi High Court, seeking directions to the Union government to provide consular access to the detained persons and ensure the timely completion of the investigation, as well as their repatriation to India, PTI reported.

On Thursday, the High Court issued notice to the Union government. The matter has been listed for hearing on January 21, PTI quoted the counsel for the petitioners Gurinder Pal Singh as saying.

The parents of one of the detained crew members, Ketan Mehta, have also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and secure their son's release.

Also read: Cases of seafarers being abandoned by employers are soaring – and Indians are among the worst hit

Source: Scroll
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