All nine Indian crew members present on the chemical ship YARA J at the port of Constanta, Romania are safe and sound. The Embassy of India in Bucharest announced this news on Saturday, emphasizing that the ship arrived safely at its destination.
Confirmation of Crew Safety
This confirmation came after Manoj Mohapatra, the Indian Ambassador to Romania, spoke with Romanian officials and the ship's Company Security Officer (CSO). In a statement released via social media, the Embassy of India stated: "Ambassador Manoj Mohapatra has spoken with Romanian officials, including SAR Romania and MRCC Constanta, as well as the CSO of the YARA J ship. It was confirmed that all nine Indian crew members on the ship are safe and sound, and the ship has arrived at Constanta port. The ambassador also assured them of the full support and assistance of the Government of India."
Status of Other Crew Members
Previously, the Embassy of India had announced that three Indian citizens who were rescued after an attack on the commercial ship MV Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea had left Romania and returned to their homeland. In a statement released on social media, it was mentioned: "Three Indian citizens, Mr. Sahil Sandhu, Mr. Ashwini Kumar, and Mr. Harman Singh, returned to India today. The embassy provided all necessary support to facilitate their return."
The embassy also expressed gratitude for the cooperation and support of Romanian authorities, Constanta County Hospital, and Romanian rescue teams, adding: "We thank them for their outstanding support." These three individuals were rescued from the ship on October 6.
India's Stance on Maritime Attacks
On October 7, New Delhi strongly condemned the attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea corridor and called for dialogue and diplomatic engagement to reduce regional tensions and restore peace. Randeep Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs of India, emphasized at a bi-weekly press conference in New Delhi that attacks on commercial ships jeopardize maritime trade and endanger the lives of sailors. He stated: "We have witnessed a series of attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea region in the past day or two. We condemn these attacks that endanger the lives of our maritime community. The commercial ship MV Royad Mammadov was attacked while passing through the Black Sea. Three Indian citizens were there, all of whom are safe, but one of them was injured and is receiving treatment. We appreciate the Romanian authorities who assisted us and are grateful for their cooperation in this incident."
