Didn’t allow Pak, Syrian crew members of ship to disembark at Karwar: Police
The ship, owned by an Iraqi company and carrying a consignment of bitumen from Iraq, arrived at Karwar port on May 11 night
BELAGAVI: Three foreign crew members — one from Pakistan and two from Syria — aboard a commercial cargo ship that docked at Karwar harbour earlier this week were not permitted to disembark on Indian soil, officials said.
The ship, owned by an Iraqi company and carrying a consignment of bitumen from Iraq, arrived at Karwar port on May 11 night and departed on May 14 afternoon. It had 16 crew members, including 13 Indians and three foreign nationals — two Syrians and one Pakistani. The vessel was captained by an Indian national.
Karwar Harbour station police inspector Nischal Kumar told reporters on Thursday that authorities were alerted to the presence of the Pakistani and Syrian nationals aboard the vessel two days prior to its arrival. Upon docking, the foreign crew members underwent routine security checks but were not allowed to leave the ship.
“Since the situation between India and Pakistan was not good and Syria is also supporting that country, they were not allowed to come out from the ship,” Kumar said. He added that the decision was taken as a precautionary measure.
The Pakistani and Syrian crew members were reportedly employed as helpers and attendants to senior staffers and had been working for the Iraqi shipping company for a few years. During the ship’s stay at the harbour, the Indian crew members were tasked to provide food and other supplies to the three foreign nationals.
Authorities also seized the phones of the foreign nationals during their stay here. “As per directions, the captain — who is an Indian — collected their phones, which were kept switched on and later returned after the ship sailed back,” said Kumar.
He clarified that no suspicious material was found during the security checks, and their devices did not receive any calls while in custody. The inquiry was documented both in writing and via video recording.
Officials said Pakistani crew members on commercial ships were previously allowed to go ashore under certain conditions.
