India has submitted a formal consular request to Pakistan while engaging directly with maritime operators to resolve the prolonged ordeal of six Indian seafarers stuck aboard a cargo vessel at Karachi Port for over six months, the Union Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday.

Speaking during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal explained that the protracted impasse originates from an employment and crewing dispute between the mariners and the vessel's owner.

Strict international maritime regulations prevent crew members from abandoning their posts until a designated replacement team arrives to take over operations.

"It is actually a matter between the owner of the ship and the employees who are on the ship. You cannot just leave the ship. A replacement crew has to come before you leave," Jaiswal explained.

The vessel has remained berthed at Berth No. 21, West Wharf, at Karachi Port since April, with the stranded crew including Chief Officer Vineet Kishore Mishra from Prayagraj, whose family has appealed to the central government for urgent intervention.

Confirming that New Delhi is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating across multiple stakeholders, Jaiswal noted that diplomatic channels with Islamabad have been activated alongside direct negotiations with the employer and shipping agents.

"We have been in touch with these people there, as well as with the employer—the shipping company and their agent and we are trying to resolve this issue. We have also made a consular request to the Pakistani side. But essentially, it is a commercial issue between the shipping company and the employees," he added.

Official sources have indicated that the six mariners are currently safe aboard the general cargo ship, and formalities are underway to secure port clearance for six relief crew members to embark.

The MEA's update comes amid heightened government focus on the welfare of Indian sailors overseas, with the ministry simultaneously announcing on Friday that an emergency travel certificate has been issued to repatriate another stranded Indian seafarer, 22-year-old Akshay Harish, from Chabahar Port in Iran.

Harish, a native of Prakkulam in Kollam, Keralam, had been left stranded in Iran without a passport or valid travel documents following a cascade of disruptions involving his vessel, regional conflict, and missing paperwork.

Addressing widespread concerns over his safety, Jaiswal stated that the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas intervened immediately after Harish reached out to the mission on November 9.

"The well-being and safety of our Indian seafarers are of high importance to us. Our mission in Tehran and our consulate in Bandar Abbas have already reached out to Akshay Harish, a seafarer," Jaiswal said during the media briefing.

Following the swift completion of required administrative formalities, Indian diplomatic authorities issued an emergency certificate to facilitate his journey back to India.

"Accordingly, he applied for an emergency certificate, and that emergency certificate has now been issued to Akshay. With that, he is now ready to travel back home. And we are making all efforts so that he can return home, return to India, to Keralam, as early as possible. In this regard, we are in close contact with his employer," the MEA spokesperson added.

Akshay had originally joined the shipping company on December 5, 2025, through a recruiting agency based in Palakkad, initially boarding a vessel from Japan.

According to his family, he had anticipated a brief 35-day maritime assignment without regular connectivity.

However, upon arriving at an Iranian port after roughly 35 to 36 days, the crew prepared for their maiden voyage toward Dubai, which coincided precisely with the eruption of regional conflict in Iran.

While the crew's initial voyage to Pakistan to transport a shipment of rice proceeded without incident, their second voyage encountered severe legal and administrative obstacles.

Pakistani port authorities confiscated the passports and Continuous Discharge Certificates of the cabin crew, chief engineer, and captain, citing irregularities with the captain's certificates and imposing heavy financial penalties.

After returning to Chabahar, the documents went missing, and while six Myanmar nationals on board were repatriated through their embassy, Akshay was left isolated in a room in Chabahar without pay or valid identification.

Faced with the imminent threat of her son remaining stranded indefinitely in a foreign land, Akshay's mother approached local and national political leaders for urgent intervention.

MLA and Minister Bindu Krishna stepped into the matter, writing directly to Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Keralam's Special Representative in Delhi, and the Indian Embassy in Iran.

Formal complaints and appeals were also submitted to Member of Parliament Kodikunnil Suresh and Union Minister Suresh Gopi.

Following concerted diplomatic and political efforts by Suresh Gopi, Bindu Krishna, and G Devarajan, official channels swung into rapid action.

The case was formally taken up with the Iranian Ambassador, paving the way for Indian Embassy officials to meet Akshay in person and issue the temporary travel documents needed to bring him home safely.

ANI