China on December
25 had said that there is no ‘link’ between stranded Indian ship crew on its
Chinese ports and its strained relations with India and Australia.
Two cargo vessels
with a total of 39 Indians on board have been on anchorage in Chinese waters as
they were not allowed to unload their cargo though some other ships have
managed to do so.
“Diplomatic talks
are going on for this successfully. Our seafarers will come to India soon,”
Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in reply to a
query about sailors being stuck in China for the last seven months during
Cabinet briefing..
“There is a considerable amount of stress on
the crew members on account of this unprecedented situation,” External Affairs
Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said.
Srivastava said
bulk cargo vessel MV Jag Anand is on anchorage near Jingtang port in Hebei
province of China since June 13 and it has 23 Indian sailors.
Another vessel, MV
Anastasia with 16 Indian nationals as its crew, is on anchorage near Caofeidian
port in China since September 20, waiting for discharge of its cargo, he had
said at a media briefing.
“Our Embassy in
Beijing has been in constant touch with provincial and central government
authorities in China, requesting that the ships be allowed to dock and/or the
crew be allowed to be changed,” he had said.
China has stayed in close communication with the Indian side
“Concerning this,
China has stayed in close communication with the Indian side and responding to
their requests as well as providing necessary assistance for them, Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had said.
“As far as I
understand, China allows the crew change while meeting certain quarantine
conditions. But this Jingtang port is not in the list for such crew changes, he
had said but did not refer to the 16 crew members of Caofeidian port.
China last month
had blamed the freight forwarder of Jag Anand’ ship for the impasse, saying he
is not letting the ship to leave. |