Indian Seafarer Stranded in Iran Gets Emergency Travel Certificate
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on 13 November that an emergency certificate has been issued to Akshay Harish, the young Indian seafarer from Kerala who was left stranded at Chabahar Port in Iran. Chabahar lies on Iran’s south-eastern coast, facing the Gulf of Oman.
Speaking at the ministry’s media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Mr Harish contacted the Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas on 9 November. Officials learned that he had joined the merchant vessel Plan Marine in Japan in 2025. When the ship reached Chabahar, the captain told him that his passport and Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) had been lost, and he was put off the vessel.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The Indian Embassy in Tehran and the consulate then contacted the ship’s owner and agent and explained the formalities needed to issue his travel papers. According to the MEA, his company is now supporting him and paying for his food and lodging. With the emergency certificate, a one-way travel document used in place of a lost passport, he is ready to fly home, and officials are working with his employer to bring him back to Kerala as early as possible.
CrewMirror carried an earlier report on his case, when he had also raised concerns about unpaid wages and officer certificates on board. The MEA’s latest update did not address those concerns. Cases like this show how quickly a seafarer can be left without papers or pay abroad; the protections available are explained in our guide to seafarer abandonment and repatriation rights.
CrewMirror Takeaway
Seafarers are wise to keep scanned copies of their passport, CDC and contract in personal email or cloud storage before joining a ship. Indian seafarers whose documents are lost or withheld abroad can seek help from the nearest Indian mission and DGMA’s e-Navik grievance system.
