Forgotten Bulker Crew Stage Sit-In After Year of Detention in India

 

After a year in detention, while charges of drug smuggling were being investigated, the 21 crewmembers of the bulker Debi (37,000 dwt) have staged a protest to call attention to their plight. They are demanding action by the Indian authorities to resolve their situation.

The vessel which is reported by Equasis to be managed by the Asia Pacific Shipping Co. of Hanoi, Vietnam, has been detained since the beginning of December 2023. It was officially placed under arrest by a court order in February 2024. The same court ordered the ship to be sold in September 2024.

The bulker was loaded with steel plate to be carried to Denmark and arrived at the Paradip Port in India on November 30 for a stopover. Reports indicate it had started its trip in Egypt and made a port stop in Indonesia before proceeding to India.

During port operations, a member of the shore crew spotted unknown packages in a concealed area of the ship’s cranes not fully visible from the deck. A search recovered 22 kg of cocaine with a street value of $26 million. The packages were attached to the top of the vessel’s cranes and secured with magnets according to the report. 

Indian authorities said they would be investigating to determine when the drugs were loaded onto the ship. They were also seeking to determine if any of the crewmembers had been involved in the smuggling operation.

The Debi which is registered in Panama has alternately been held on dock or in the port’s anchorage. Earlier in the week, the vessel was moved from the anchorage for fuel and water while alongside. Media reports said once on berth the crew began a sit-in refusing to work the vessel. Port officials said the ship was unable to return to the anchorage.

The port authorities are reported to have initiated efforts to resolve the issue through talks. The ship currently remains berthed at the Paradip International Cargo Terminal.

It is not the first time there have been concerns for the crew. In January 2024, one of the vessel’s engineers jumped overboard while the vessel was in the anchorage. The third engineer had been in an altercation on the ship and there was speculation it might have been a suicide attempt. Other crewmembers were able to save him, and he was taken to a hospital onshore.

Media reports said that the Indian authorities confiscated the crew’s cellphones and computers leaving them virtually isolated and unable to contact family at home in Vietnam.