Kottayam: A young woman from Kerala is one of the several crew members onboard the cargo ship seized by Iran.
Abraham, a Thrissur native, claimed that his daughter, Ann Tessa Joseph, is trapped onboard the Israel-linked ship ‘MSC Aries’ in the Strait of Hormuz.
He stated that her name was not originally on a list submitted by the Kerala Chief Minister to the Ministry of External Affairs regarding details of Malayalis onboard the vessel. However, he added that he received a call from the Kerala CM’s office, and her name was later added to the list.
He revealed that his daughter had been employed on the vessel for the last nine months as part of her training. She last communicated with her family on Friday evening. Subsequently, as they were unable to establish contact with her, the family sought assistance from the shipping company. It was the shipping company that disclosed that Ann was safe.
Earlier today, Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to ensure the safety of Indian nationals, including those from Kerala.
In his letter to the External Affairs Minister, the CM said that, as per available reports, three among the crew, namely Shri Sumesh, PV Dhanesh, and Syamnath, have been confirmed to be natives of Kerala.
Israel-linked cargo ship ‘MSC Aries’ seized by Iran on Saturday near the Strait of Hormuz had 17 Indian nationals onboard, according to the sources.