A first batch of seafarers from the 15,000-teu MSC Aries (built 2020), a vessel hijacked by Iran last month, is expected to begin on Thursday.
The seven people, whose nationality remains undisclosed, will disembark as part of a gradual release schedule meant to safeguard minimum manning on board, according to sources closely following the matter.
Their departure leaves 17 seafarers on the MSC Aries, a vessel managed and operated by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co.
Their piecemeal release is in line with previous practice when Iran seized ships in reprisal for US sanctions and vessel seizures targeting the Islamic republic.
However, in the case of the MSC Aries the release procedure seems to be advancing at a much quicker pace, possibly due to the high-profile nature of the incident and criticism against Iran at the International Maritime Organization.
The vessel’s Portuguese flag state has also been in contact to press for the crew’s release.
A female cadet from India has already been released.
As TradeWinds reported, the Iranian government has repeatedly given assurances in the past few days that the remaining seafarers would be repatriated.
With the release procedure set in motion since, Tehran has formally authorised a partial disembarkation, in accordance with minimum manning rules.
The order in which the seafarers disembark is up for MSC and the seafarers themselves to decide. However, the presence of at least one person with the rank of commandant is required on board at all times.
Seventeen of the 24 seafarers that were on the MSC Aries after the initial release of the cadet are Indians. Four are from the Philippines and one each is from Estonia, Pakistan and Russia.
A return of the vessel itself and its cargo is not in sight.
