Indian Crew Member of Seized Ship Returns Home After Iran Incident

The Indian mission in Tehran, along with the Iranian government, successfully ensured the safe return of Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala. She was part of the crew on the container vessel MSC Aries and has now landed safely at Cochin International Airport.

The Indian mission in Tehran continues to be involved in the matter and is keeping in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the crew members are in good health and are in contact with their families in India.

The Indian government is also coordinating with Iranian authorities to ensure the well-being of the remaining crew members. After Ms. Joseph’s safe return to India, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged the efforts of the Indian mission in Iran.

Additionally, Foreign Minister Jaishankar expressed satisfaction over her return, emphasizing the consistent support provided to Indians, whether at home or abroad. Amidst these developments, the vessel’s seizure coincides with heightened tensions in the Middle East.

There are concerns about a potential Israeli counterattack on Iran, following Iran’s launch of 300 missiles at Israel. Prior to this, Israel conducted an airstrike on the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Syria’s Damascus, resulting in casualties, including two Generals.

Iran has stated that the vessel is “related to the Zionist regime (Israel) in the Gulf.” The vessel in question, MSC Aries, is a Portuguese-flagged container ship, according to two websites tracking shipping traffic, vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, with its last reported position being in the Gulf.