Anastasia

18 seafarers will disembark from the 'Anastasia' this week after spending close to six months on board the MSC ship. The shipping line has sent the ship to Iwakumi after spending months off the coast of China. Since September 2020, the ship and its crew have been waiting off the coast of China, with no prospect of going ashore. But now MSC has been allowed to move the ship to Japan. The 18-man crew was expected to go ashore on Feb. 10.

On Feb 4 the authorities in China have given clearance for crew change for 16 stranded Indian sailors on board athe 'Anastasia' that has been on an anchorage near the Chinese port of Caofeidian since Sep 20, 2020. The External Affairs Ministry was hopeful that the crew change can be effected at the earliest. After sustained follow up by our embassy in Beijing, the Chinese central authorities have conveyed their clearance to the local foreign office in Tangshan and port authorities for the transfer of crew of 'Anastasia'. The shipping company's agent, we understand, has submitted a request to the local port authorities and was coordinating with them on the modalities for crew change at Caofeidian port.

The 39 Indian crew members of the 'Anastasia' have been stranded in Chinese waters for months now, driving one them to slash his wrists after he was denied permission to return to India to look after his ailing wife and two sons, who have been diagnosed with Covid-19. The 47-year-old man was initially contracted to serve on board the vessel for five months, and his service has now been extended to 13 months. For over a month, he had been desperately trying to get permission to go to his family’s aid, and desperation drove him to attempt suicide. The Navigating Officer of the ship came to his rescue just in the nick of time. Besides the 'Anastasia' also the 'Jag Anand', owned by India’s Great Eastern Shipping Company, has been anchored at Caofeidian and Jingtang ports for 160 days and 213 days, respectively as of Jan 13, 2021. China and India have been engaged in border standoffs for quite some time now, giving rise to an ongoing trade war and diplomatic tensions. China's policy on Indian-flagged vessels came to the forefront when vessels flying other flags were permitted to unload similar bulk cargo and leave during the same period. The ships were refused permission by the Chinese authorities to offload their cargo, and were not even allowed to send other sailors to relieve the crew. The 39 sailors have been left to their fate without much support from the central government, and their families were left struggling to get them back. The families, mostly based in the Indian state of Maharashtra, have been appealing to different government offices but with no help in sight.