The six Indians who are part of the 22-member crew of the MV Suez that was recently freed by Somali pirates are expected to reach Mumbai on Friday on a flight via Dubai, a representative of the vessel’s owners said on Thursday.
“The six Indian members of the crew are scheduled to depart Pakistan on an Emirates flight for Dubai at 10.30 pm (Pakistani time).
From Dubai, they will fly to Mumbai and are expected to be in India tomorrow,” said Majid Aziz, a representative of Red Sea Navigation, the owners of MV Suez.
As a gesture of goodwill, the owners of the vessel had borne the expenses for repatriating the sailors to India, Mr Aziz told PTI.
“The Indian crew members were escorted to the Karachi airport by two officials of the Indian high commission and a Pakistani security detail,” he said.
Special arrangements were made by authorities in Sindh province, including governor Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan, to facilitate the immigration procedures for the Indian sailors, said Mr Aziz, a former president of the Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
There was no official word from Indian authorities and officials of the Indian high commission could not be reached for comments. The crew was brought to Karachi by Pakistan Navy warship Zulfiqar. —PTI