India has asked China to allow two Indian freighters stranded for months near two Chinese ports because of the pandemic to rapidly unload their cargoes or replace their 39 crew members, an official said. "There is growing stress on the crew members on account of the long delay," India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said. The vessels are among ships from various countries waiting to unload their cargoes at Jintang and Caofeidian ports, Srivastava said.
"We expect that this assistance will be provided in an urgent, practical and time-bound manner, given the grave humanitarian situation that is developing onboard the ships," he said in a statement.
Srivastava said Chinese authorities have conveyed that a crew change is not permitted at the ports because of Covid-19-related restrictions. Beijing has suggested that the shipping company may apply for a crew rotation at Tianjin port, he said.
The MEA spokesperson said the Indian Embassy in Beijing continued to remain in close and continuous touch with the Chinese authorities in Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin, adding the government is also following up on the matter through the Chinese Embassy in India for "an early resolution". He said the Indian Embassy has repeatedly taken up the issue with both the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs and the local provincial authorities, requesting that the ships be allowed to dock and/or the crew be allowed to be changed.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said local authorities have been maintaining close communication with the Indian side and providing necessary facilities and assistance. "Some Chinese ports allow crew changes under the premise of complying with the relevant epidemic prevention regulations, but Jintang port and Caofeidian port are not included in this list. It is up to the freighter to decide whether to adjust its operating arrangements," Wang said last week.
The Indian cargo vessel MV Jag Anand of Great Eastern Shipping Co. has been at anchor near Jingtang in Hebei province since June 13 with 23 Indian crew members on board. Another vessel, MV Anastasia, with 16 Indian crew members, has been near Caofeidian since Sept. 20. Both are waiting to discharge their cargoes before leaving the ports.
One attempts suicide
For 13 months, he had been patient while his time on the ship kept getting extended. First, when the Covid-19 outbreak began and, then, when China would not let his ship into the Caofeidian port. But when his wife and two sons tested positive for Covid-19, the 47-year-old on the crew of MV Anastasia knew he had to get out. He made a case, relentlessly, before his captain, his company. After a month of futile attempts, he slashed his wrist. “He was saved just in time,” navigation officer Gaurav Singh, 29, said. “We are all losing our minds here.” For 146 days, their cargo ship has been stranded in Chinese waters. Another carrier, MV Jag Anand, has been stuck off Jingtang port since June with 23 Indian sailors on board - 199 days. The arrival of these ships coincided with an escalating altercation between China and Australia which eventually led to a “ban” on coal imports from the latter.
China said this is because of Covid prevention. “But if that were true, ships from Russia, Canada and Europe would not be allowed to offload and leave,” Singh said. Those on the ships have not set foot on land for months.
