The Portuguese-flagged MSC chartered vessel was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Straits of Hormuz on 13 April with the Iranian authorities saying the Israeli-linked ship was violating international maritime laws.
In a phone conversation between Amirabdollahian and his Portuguese counterpart Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, the Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the issue of the seafarers held on the vessel was discussed.
“We seriously consider the release of the ship’s crew as a humanitarian issue, and we have announced to their ambassadors in Tehran their access to consular services, release and extradition,” Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.
The vessel has crew of 25 Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Russian & Estonian nationals.
One the Indian seafarers onboard the vessel Deck Cadet Ann Tessa Joseph is already reported to have been released and landed in Cochin on 18 April.
The MSC Aries is owned by Gortal Shipping, a finance company associated with Zodiac Maritime, controlled by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
The seizure of the vessel has been widely condemned by the industry with 16 associations writing an open letter addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighting the “intolerable situation” where shipping has become a target in geo-political conflicts.
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