Released by Houthis in Yemen, 14 Indian seamen fly back home from Dubai

Dubai: Fourteen Indian seamen who were stranded in Yemen for over 10 months after their ship sank in the Gulf of Aden flew back to India on Saturday from Dubai.

The 14 seamen were taken into custody on February 14, 2020 by the local Houthi authorities in Yemen, the Indian embassy in Djibouti said in a statement.

“After persistent and painstaking efforts, the Embassy of India, Djibouti was able to get them released on November 28 through its Sana’a office,” the statement said.

According to the embassy, the stranded Indians had lost their passport and other documents and belongings. It also requested all maritime and other authorities concerned to take note of their situation and support them.

The rescued seamen have been identified as Mohanraj Thanigachalam, William Nicamden, Ahmed Abdul Gafur Wakankar, Fairuz Nasruddin Zari, Sandip Balu Lohar, Nilesh Dhanraj Lohar, Hiron SK, Dawood Mahmood Jivrak, Chetan Hari Chandra Gawas, Tanmay Rajendra Mane, Sanjeev Kumar, Maniraj Mariyappan, Praveen Thammakarantavida and Abdul Vahab Musthaba.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai confirmed the arrival of the Indian seamen in Dubai.

Chandrashekhar Bhatia of the Gulf Maharashtra Business Forum (GMBF) said that the Indian nationals took a flight to Mumbai from the Dubai International Airport on Saturday night.

Bhatia also shared a letter signed by GMBF Global President Sunil Manjerakar in which he thanked the government and officials who helped ensure the release of the seamen.

In another note shared by Bhatia, the seamen claimed that they have not received their salaries from the last 10 months. They requested the Indian embassy in Oman and their Omani employer to release their salary.