Emergency certificate issued to Kerala seafarer Akshay Harish in Iran

Emergency certificate issued to Keralam seafarer Akshay Harish stranded in Iran, repatriation underway: MEA

New Delhi, November 13

Akshay Harish, a young seafarer and native of Prakkulam in Kollam, has been left stranded in Iran without a passport or travel documents following a series of disruptions involving his shipping vessel, regional conflict, and missing paperwork.

Addressing concerns over his safety, Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the Consulate in Bandar Abbas intervened immediately after Harish contacted the mission on November 9.

"The well-being and safety of our Indian seafarers are of high importance to us. Our mission in Tehran and our consulate in Bandar Abbas have already reached out to Akshay Harish, a seafarer," Jaiswal said during a media briefing.

Recounting the sequence of events following conversations between consular officials and Harish, the MEA spokesperson explained that the sailor had boarded a merchant vessel named Plam Marine in Japan in 2025.

He added that upon reaching Chabahar Port, the ship's captain informed him that his passport and Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC), a mandatory document for mariners, were lost, leading to his disembarkation from the vessel.

"We also got to know that Akshay is receiving support from his company. They're taking care of his boarding and lodging. After the call, we got in touch with the owner of the ship and the agent, and we gave them the details of the formalities to be completed for his documentation," Jaiswal stated.

Following the completion of required formalities, Indian authorities issued an emergency certificate to facilitate his repatriation.

"Accordingly, he applied for an emergency certificate, and that emergency certificate has now been issued to Akshay. With that, he is now ready to travel back home. And we are making all efforts so that he can return home, return to India, to Keralam, as early as possible. In this regard, we are in close contact with his employer," the MEA spokesperson added.

Akshay joined the shipping company on December 5, 2025, through a recruiting agency based in Palakkad, initially boarding a ship from Japan. According to his family, he had anticipated a short 35-day stint without connectivity. However, upon reaching an Iranian port after roughly 35-36 days, the crew prepared for their first sail toward Dubai-coinciding precisely with the eruption of war in Iran.

While their first trip to Pakistan for transporting rice went smoothly, the second voyage ran into severe legal and administrative roadblocks. Pakistani port authorities confiscated the passports and Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs) of the cabin crew, chief engineer, and captain, citing issues with the captain's certificates and imposing heavy fines.

While the Iranian captain and chief engineer departed without issue, and six Myanmar nationals aboard the vessel were eventually repatriated via their embassy, Akshay was left behind, confined to a room in Chabahar. Matters peaked when his companions left, leaving him entirely isolated.

In a desperate plea to his family, Akshay called in tears, "Mother, all of them have left and I am all alone now. My paperwork hasn't been cleared yet, and it seems like it will take months... Mother, please save me somehow, tell someone to help me."

Reflecting on the terrifying moments, Akshay's mother recalled his distress, "He was crying on the phone as he said, 'Mother, I don't know what to do; we are heading towards Bandar Lengeh.' After that, he didn't call for about two months... [Later], as the war intensified further, they couldn't travel from Iran to Dubai or Oman, so they set sail from Iran to Pakistan."

Faced with the imminent threat of her son being stranded indefinitely, Akshay's mother approached local and national leaders for urgent intervention. MLA and Minister Bindu Krishna stepped into the matter, writing directly to the Chief Minister VD Satheesan, the Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Kerala's Special Representative in Delhi, and the Indian Embassy in Iran.

Complaints were also submitted to MP Kodikunnil Suresh and Union Minister Suresh Gopi. Following concerted efforts by Union Minister Suresh Gopi, Minister Bindu Krishna, and G. Devarajan, the diplomatic channels swung into action. The case has been formally taken up with the Iranian Ambassador, and officials from the Indian Embassy are slated to meet Akshay in person to issue temporary travel documents.

— ANI