Four sailors from north Andhra Pradesh among 13 crew stranded on cargo ship in war-hit Iran

Visakhapatnam: Four sailors from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts are among a 13-member crew stranded aboard cargo ship MV Pascal near Bandar Abbas port in Iran.

Enduring a severe shortage of food and drinking water, they have been living in darkness for the past few days after the ship’s main engine developed a technical snag. The stranded sailors are reportedly surviving on three glasses of rice mixed with dal shared among nine people, and two bottles of water once every three days. They have not bathed for nearly a month, due to which some of them have contracted skin infections.

The sailors sent a video to their families, requesting them to alert authorities back home to rescue them from the war-hit region. According to the family members of Komara Somaraju from Chintapalli panchayat in Poosapatirega mandal of Vizianagaram district, nine of the 13 crew members are from India.

The four sailors from north Andhra have been identified as trainee wiper Somaraju, Jerri Vishnu from Srikurmam, Durga Prasad from Amudalavalasa, and Parapati Ramana from Parapativanipeta in Srikakulam district.

In the viral video, Somaraju said they have been facing severe food and drinking water shortages for the past four to six months. He said they are surviving on just one meal a day and are living in darkness as the ship remains under blackout due to ongoing repairs.

Speaking to TOI, Somaraju said they have been struggling for necessities and are frightened by the frequent sounds of bombing. “We hear blasts very often and are scared. We urge the authorities to rescue us and help us reunite with our families,” he said.

Somaraju, who is on his first sailing assignment, reportedly paid ₹5 lakh to an agent in Mumbai to secure the job. All the crew members joined MV Pascal about a year ago. Although his contract ended after six months, he continues to remain stranded, completing nearly a year since joining the crew on June 21, 2025.

His cousin Gonagalla Yerrayya said there is no immediate possibility of returning to India as the ship remains under repair and neither the agent in Mumbai nor the ship owner in Dubai are responding.

Somaraju’s parents, Appanna, a priest from a fishermen community, and Appamma, have appealed to Union minister K Rammohan Naidu and Nellimarla MLA Lokam Madhavi to rescue their son. They also stated that Somaraju has not received his salary for the past 12 months.

Yerrayya added that both the state and Central authorities are responding positively. Local MLA Madhavi has spoken to the family, and officials from Amaravati have also contacted them.