Twelve Vietnamese crew members were allowed to disembark from a detained cargo vessel at Paradip Port on Monday, following a year-long detention after a major drug seizure. Eleven replacement crew members — seven Vietnamese and four Indians — have boarded the vessel.
The cargo ship “MV Debi”, registered in Panama and operated by Asia Pacific Shipping Co. Ltd., was seized in Dec 2023 after customs officials discovered cocaine worth Rs 220 crore (22 kilograms) on board. The vessel was en route to Denmark from Indonesia’s Gresik Port when it was intercepted.
“We have permitted the release of 12 crew members after receiving clearance from customs officials,” said Manas Ranjan Dash, immigration officer of Paradip Port. “The remaining nine crew members will be released once their replacements arrive. However, the ship will remain in custody,” he said.
Last month, all 21 crew members protested after their prolonged detention at the port. The case has made little progress as the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), Bhubaneswar is yet to submit its report on the seized substances.
Special public prosecutor Debashis Kantha confirmed that no arrests have been made in the case which represents the largest drug seizure in Paradip Port’s history. The court at Kujang has directed customs officials to store the seized cocaine in their “malkhana” or evidence room while awaiting SFSL report.
The Kujang court rejected a petition by the Vietnamese ship owner for the vessel’s release earlier this month.