Only woman among 17 Indian crew members onboard seized ship by Iran returns home

Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph, only woman among 17 Indian crew members onboard the Israeli-flagged merchant ship seized by Iran, has safely returned.

Joseph, who belongs to Thrissur in Kerala safely landed at Cochin International airport on Thursday, the government said.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “With the concerted efforts of Indian Mission in Tehran and the Iranian Government, Indian deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph from Thrissur, Kerala, who was among the Indian crew members of container vessel MSC Aries, has landed safely at the Cochin International Airport today afternoon. At the airport, Ms. Joseph was received by the Regional Passport Officer, Cochin.”

She was freed through the “concerted efforts” of the Indian embassy in Tehran and the Iranian government, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Iran’s foreign ministry stated that the freighter was seized for violating maritime laws.

The 17 Indians were part of the 25-member crew of the container ship MSC Aries, which was seized by a special forces unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 amid the growing tensions between the two countries after Iran fired over 300 missiles and drones over Israel in a retaliatory attack.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that the Indian embassy facilitated Joseph’s return to India with the “support of Iranian authorities”.

The government said the Indian Mission in Tehran remains in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members of the container vessel. Earlier, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian on the matter," the statement read.

The Indian embassy in Tehran “remains seized of the matter” and is in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members”, who are in good health and in contact with their family members in India, the external affairs ministry said.

The crew also has four Filipinos, two Pakistanis, one Russian and one Estonian. Last week, India issued an advisory urging its citizens not to travel to Iran or Israel and observe “utmost precautions” following the rise in tensions between the two sides. 

India has also taken action several times to protect ships with Indian crew members that were targeted by Iran’s proxy forces such as the Houthi rebels of Yemen.