Two Indian seafarers have allegedly been stranded aboard a vessel at Iran’s Port Bushehr for nearly a year without salaries, electricity, adequate food or water, prompting the Forward Seamen Union of India (FSUI) to urge the Indian government to secure their immediate repatriation.
The two seafarers have been identified as Saurav Patil and Navin Kumar. According to the union, they remain stranded aboard the vessel PSD-1 despite official records reportedly showing them as crew members of PVT Fortune (Ex Bellavita, IMO 9542831), a vessel currently bound for Singapore.
In a post on X, FSUI said the two Indian seafarers have remained aboard PSD-1 for the past 12 months without pay and under life-threatening conditions.
“Official records show two Indian seafarers onboard PVT Fortune… Reality: These two seafarers are actually stranded onboard PSD-1 at Bushehr Port, Iran,” the union said.
The union further alleged that many Indian seafarers remain registered on different vessels in government records while actually being stranded elsewhere, including in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea. It called for an immediate verification of such records and the evacuation of the two sailors.
Sailors recount year-long ordeal
According to FSUI, the seafarers have received no salary for 12 months and are living without electricity, a generator, and adequate food or drinking water.
The union alleged that their situation turned critical on March 5, when attacks reportedly occurred within about 100 metres of the vessel. It claimed the two sailors jumped into the sea and swam to shore to save themselves, only to be forced back aboard by the vessel’s owner.
FSUI described their condition as “a life of imprisonment”, saying they had effectively been abandoned despite the conflict ending..
In a video shared by the union, Navin Kumar appealed for urgent assistance.
“We have a problem here for the last twelve months, but the owner is not responding. My contract finished nine months ago, but because of the war condition, we stayed here. Now the war is finished, but they are not giving us sign-off,” he said.
Navin further alleged that repeated requests for repatriation had brought only assurances.
“Now here, we don’t have food. We don’t have water. We waited so many days, but my agent told us we will give a sign-off soon. Please help me,” he said.
Union seeks immediate government intervention
FSUI General Secretary Manoj Yadav said the two Indians were among thousands of seafarers affected by the conflict in West Asia.
He claimed that while crew members of other nationalities had been evacuated during the conflict, the two Indian sailors remained stranded aboard PSD-1.
The union has urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Directorate General of Shipping, the Indian Embassy in Iran and international maritime organisations to intervene, verify the sailors’ records and facilitate their immediate repatriation.
