MSC ARIES

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Latest news

Seven crew members on their way home

After weeks of being held in Iran and promises that the crew of the seized 'MSC Aries' would be released, the governments of Portugal, India, and Pakistan confirmed that the first seven crewmembers have finally left the ship. Iran last week had said all crew members would be free to leave if the captain joined them. Next it was reported the crew would be released when their contractual obligations are completed. Portugal as the flag state of the containership confirmed that seven of the 24 crew members still aboard the vessel had departed. The first release consisted of five Indian nationals, one Filipino, and one Estonian, who was the sole European Union citizen on board. The Portuguese government welcomes this development, for which it had strongly advocated for. Nonetheless, it reiterated to the Iranian Government that international law required the immediate release of the remaining crew members and of the shipitself. 'Portugal will continue to make every effort to ensure that these international obligations are fully met,” the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. India’s embassy in Iran confirmed that its five citizens have departed Iran and were making their way home to India. Previously, they had arranged for the sole cadet, a female, to travel home to India, where she arrived on April 19, six days after the vessel was seized. The consulate previously said that it had been able to arrange a visit to the crew and that they were in good health. They continued to call for the immediate release of the additional 11 Indian citizens aboard the vessel. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said that its one crew member was expected to arrive back in the Philippines on May 10 and were working for the release of the three remaining Filipinos aboard the ship. The vessel also has crew members from Russia and Pakistan. Iran had promised the Pakistan Foreign Ministry that it would repatriate its crewmembers while it was planning for a state visit to the country. However, there was no word on when these crewmembers might be released.Iran reiterated its assertion that the ship broke international maritime law. They accused the vessel of turning off its AIS transmissions while in Iranian territorial waters and endangering the safety of navigation. The official position was that the vessel was detained under judicial review. The seizure is widely seen as a retaliatory move against Israel coming shortly before Iran unleashed missiles and drones targeting Israel. The 'MSC Aries' is operating under a long-term charter to MSC but is owned by affiliates of Zodiac Maritime in which Eyal Ofer is the lead investor.

Seven more crew members released

Iran has released seven crew members from the 'MSC Aries'. About 17 people were still on board. The Portuguese government announced this on May 9. According to the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, Iran has released five Indians, one Filipino and one Estonian. The Estonian was the only European of the 25 crew members. One Indian citizen had also previously been released, as Iran had announced on April 18. At the end of April, Tehran had announced that the other crew members would also be released.

Crew of hijacked ship released

On May 3 the Iran has released the 25 crew members of the 'MSC Aries', while the vessel remains under judicial detention. The Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated that Iran still maintained control of the vessel. The release of the crew was deemed a humanitarian gesture, allowing them to return to their respective countries along with the ship’s captain. Iran’s foreign ministry previously stated that the 'MSC Aries' was seized for violating maritime laws and alleged ties to Israel. The vessel was leased by MSC from Gortal Shipping, a subsidiary of Zodiac Maritime, partially owned by the Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.