When T.V. Pappachan in Kalamassery received a call at 1.30 a.m. on July 19, informing him that the ship his son was on board had been seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, he was confused but relieved that the ship had at least not been in an accident or on fire.
But his anxiety has mounted in the past few days as he has not heard from 26-year-old Dijo yet and is acutely aware that the incident is part of larger international tensions.
Of the 18 Indian crew members on board the British-flagged oil and chemical tanker Stena Impero, four, including the captain, are from Kerala.
Mr. Dijo began working as a messman on the ship in June and had previously worked for over two years on two other ships owned by the Swedish company Stena Bulk. He called his parents often and when he last contacted them on July 18, he had said that the ship was headed towards Saudi Arabia. He has two sisters, one of whom is in London.
When he initially received the call from the company’s office in Mumbai, Mr. Pappachan could not understand the situation and had to ask Mr. Dijo’s friend to call them back and clarify that the ship had in fact been seized.
Mr. Pappachan is confident that the government machinery will click into place to bring his son home. Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan and Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden have assured him that they will try to get the crew members released as soon as possible. “We were told that they are safe. Our worry increases with each passing day but we hope he will be released soon despite the tensions in the Gulf area. There are crew members from other countries too whose families are worried and waiting,” he said.