Indian sailors stranded due to China-Australia dispute allowed to leave Chinese coast
- The seafarers and their ship had been stuck outside the Chinese port of Jingtang because of an embargo on Australian, along with more than 50 other vessels
- Unable to leave for seven months, the sailors have finally arrived in Tokyo after being granted passage to Japan
The sailors had been stuck outside the Chinese port of Jingtang since mid-June due to a Chinese trade embargo on Australian coal. The embargo kept them from reaching China, but maritime law prevented them from taking off with a cargo that had been bought by Chinese merchants.
“Our seafarers who were doing their job were caught in a political and trade war between Australia and China,” Abdulgani Serang, general secretary of the National Union of Seafarers of India, told dpa.
The 23-member crew of the Indian vessel Jag Anand arrived in Tokyo late on Monday, Serang said. Shiptracking website MarineTraffic also showed the ship docking in Tokyo. From there, the sailors will fly to India after clearing pandemic procedures.
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The vessel, along with its cargo of Australian coal, was granted passage to Japan last week after the intervention of the Indian government and shipowner Great Eastern Shipping.
Around 55 further ships, along with scores of other sailors, many of them Indians, are still stuck in Chinese waters, Serang said.