All 24 Indian crew members aboard the Grace 1 — an Iranian tanker seized by Gibraltar authorities with the help of British marines over a month ago — have been released,Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan tweeted today. The much-awaited development comes over a month after India launched efforts to secure their release amid rising tensions between Iran and the United Kingdom.
Tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, among others, Mr Muraleedharan tweeted “Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed that all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and are free to return to India,”,.
The Grace 1 was detained on July 4 on charges of transporting oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Just after weeks, Iran reciprocated by seizing a British oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. The 18 Indians aboard the British vessel, the Stena Impero, are yet to be released.
Possibility of securing the free of the Indian crew aboard both the ships had looked quite slim until a few weeks ago. “There is no question of a swap. This is not a game of swapping,” British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith had told journalists during a media interaction late last month, when asked if the 24 Indians aboard the Grace 1 could be released in exchange for freeing those on the Stena Impero.
A week back, Stena Bulk — the tanker operator owning the Stena Impero — had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s help to secure its release. “Before the situation with those on board and with their families becomes more distressing, I would request you to personally intervene and seek that the crew be released back to their families, who anxiously await their safe return,” Erik Hanell, Stena Bulk Chief Executive and President appealed in a letter to the Indian Prime Minister.
