Indian Crew Member Who Was Part of Seized Ship Returns Home

The Indian mission in Tehran, along with the Iranian government, successfully assisted Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala. She was among the crew members of container vessel MSC Aries and has safely arrived at Cochin International Airport, according to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Following the safe arrival of Ms. Joseph, Foreign Minister Jaishankar expressed his appreciation for the Indian mission in Iran’s efforts. The Indian mission in Tehran is in contact with the remaining 16 Indian crew members of the container vessel.

These crew members are in good health and in touch with their families in India. The government of India is coordinating with Iranian authorities to ensure the well-being of the remaining crew members. This event occurs in the context of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with apprehensions of a potential Israeli counterattack on Iran. Iran had previously launched 300 missiles at Israel, and Israel had struck the consular section of Iran’s embassy in Syria’s Damascus, resulting in casualties.

Iran has stated that the seizure of the vessel is related to Israel in the Gulf. The MSC Aries is a Portuguese-flagged container ship, as reported by vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, and its last reported position was in the Gulf.