New Delhi | Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan announced on Thursday that all of the 24 Indian crew members on the Grace 1 Iranian tanker were released after being detained by the Royal Gibraltar Police last month.
The MoS wrote,” Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and are free to return to India”.
Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and are free to return to India. @narendramodi @PMOIndia @AmitShah @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @VMBJP
— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) August 15, 2019
“I am grateful and thankful for my release,” PTI quoted the captain of the tanker as saying. “And I am grateful to all who have facilitated my release in my legal team.”
A spokesman for Gibraltar’s government also confirmed that police proceedings against four members of the crew had ended.
The crew of 28 people include majority Indians but also Russians, Latvians and Filipinos, who had spent over a month in detention on board the ship since it was seized in early July.
Supreme Court of the region said that the tanker should be released following a written assurance from Iranian authorities that the cargo would not be sent to Syria.
The Grace 1 oil tanker was detained by Gibraltar officials with the help of United Kingdom on July 4 for transporting oil to Syria in violation of sanctions by the European Union.
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