'Crew Doing Fine But Still Under Iranian Custody': Kin of Woman Staff Onboard Seized MSC Aries

New Delhi: In an exclusive conversation with Republic Media Network, the sister of one of the 17 Indian crew members onboard the ‘MSC Aries’ ship seized by Iran said that the last call from her was received on Friday.

Ann Mary Joseph, sister of the woman staff onboard the seized vessel said, "We got the last call on Friday evening. She said the entire work was completed and everything was fine."

However, she added that the family tried contacting her again but couldn't reach her and thought it to be a network problem.

"We tried to call her again on Saturday but we couldn't get hold of her. We thought there was a network issue," adding that there were times when the crew member (named Ann Tessa) used to call after 1-2 days.

Additionally, Mary asserted that the family got a call from MSC shipping company's Mumbai branch by noon that the Israeli-linked cargo vessel had been seized by the Iranian vessel.

When asked about whether the family has any update on the health conditions of the crew member, Mary added that the company assured that the crew is doing fine, eating meals and doing work assigned to them but under the control of Iranian forces. 

Further, when asked if any information was given by the government, she said,"We haven't received any kind of information from the government. We have got information only from the shipping company and the media so far...We are worried about them and their mental difficulties. Request the government to get all the crew members back home safely."