6 Indian sailors stranded at Karachi port for 7 months, officer's family seeks help

Six Indian sailors have been stranded aboard a ship at Pakistan's Karachi port for nearly seven months, with their families alleging that the vessel's electricity supply has been cut off and the crew's passports seized following a dispute between an Iranian shipping company and port authorities.The ship was allegedly detained following a dispute between Iran-based KEVER Shipping Company and Karachi port authorities. (Screen grabs: ITG)Noida,Oct 29, 2026 17:33 ISTSix Indian sailors have been stranded aboard a ship at Pakistan’s Karachi port for nearly seven months, with their families alleging that their passports have been seized, electricity supply to the vessel has been cut off and communication with them is severely restricted.The families claim the ship was detained following a dispute between Iran-based KEVER Shipping Company and Karachi port authorities. They have questioned why Indian crew members are being made to bear the consequences of a dispute between the company and port officials.Among those stranded is Vineet Kishore Mishra, a chief officer in the Merchant Navy from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. His family has appealed to the Prime Minister, the President and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for intervention to secure the safe return of all six Indians.According to Mishra’s family, the crew members have no regular electricity supply aboard the vessel, struggle to access mobile networks and manage to speak to their relatives only once in about 15 days. The family says Mishra’s employment contract has also expired, but he has not been allowed to formally sign off from the vessel and return home. SHIP STRANDED AFTER ARRIVING AT KARACHI PORTAccording to the family, Mishra joined Iran-based KEVER Shipping Company on February 25, 2026. He subsequently travelled aboard one of the company’s vessels from Oman, with the ship reaching Karachi port on April 17, 2026.The family alleges that the vessel was detained following a dispute between the shipping company and port authorities. The ship’s electricity supply was subsequently cut off, while the passports of the Indian crew members were seized, they claim. The six Indians have remained aboard the vessel since then, with no clear timeline for their return, according to the family.Mishra has worked in the Merchant Navy for nearly a decade. His family says he had left Uttar Pradesh for Iran in February, but what was expected to be a professional assignment has turned into months of uncertainty.WIFE, TWO CHILDREN WAIT FOR HIS RETURNMishra’s wife, Neha Mishra, and his father, Lalit Kishore Mishra, a retired Army personnel, have been trying to secure his return. The couple have two young children who are waiting for their father to come home.The family says the limited communication has compounded their anxiety. With calls possible only at intervals of around 15 days, relatives have little opportunity to learn about the crew’s living conditions or get regular updates on their situation.For Neha and Lalit Kishore, the uncertainty has continued for months, with no confirmed date for Mishra’s return.FAMILY SEEKS MEA INTERVENTIONThe family says it approached the Indian diplomatic mission in Pakistan and wrote to it seeking the safe return of Mishra and the other stranded Indian crew members.Although the family claims it received assurances, the matter remains unresolved nearly seven months after the vessel arrived at Karachi port.Relatives have now approached the Prime Minister, the President and the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking urgent intervention. They have also tried to raise the issue through their local MLA and MP to bring it to the attention of the Centre.Their central demand is that the Indian crew members be allowed to return home, irrespective of the dispute between the shipping company and port authorities.The family has sought clarity on when the crew’s travel documents will be returned, when they will be allowed to sign off from the vessel and what steps are being taken to facilitate their repatriation.With six Indian citizens still waiting to return home, their families are hoping for swift intervention by the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government to resolve the matter and bring them back safely.- Ends