Stranded for more than a year! 16 crew members onboard MV ULa left Kuwait to India

Friday, June 4, 2021

After a wait of almost 15 months, the 16 Indians onboard MV Ula ship stranded on Shuaiba port left Kuwait to India today. With the continuous and relentless efforts of the Indian Embassy with Kuwait authorities, all the crew members onboard left to Delhi on Air India flight AI 1902 from Kuwait International Airport.

The ship MV ULA was detained at Shuaiba port following a legal dispute between the ship’s owner and the owner of its cargo. The 19 member crew onboard has been stuck in limbo for reasons beyond their control. Sixteen of them are from India, while one is Turkey, one from Azerbaijan and one from Bangladesh. Later the crew members went on hunger strike due to the delay in bureaucratic procedures to get an early resolution on their issue.



Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Sri Sibi George held several discussions with the Kuwaiti authorities to resolve the complex issues involved and ensure their departure to India. A high-level coordination between several parties has taken place following the Ambassadors meeting with the Kuwaiti authorities. The complex issue was resolved after Minister Rana Al-Faris took charge of the portfolio of the Ministry of Transportation.



Finally, on Friday, June 4th, All the 16 Indian crew members were able to sign off from the ship and left to Delhi from Kuwait International airport to reach their respective destination. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait arranged flight ticket to all of them. y. All the other formalities including medical check-up and PCR tests were arranged by the Embassy prior to their departure in cooperation with the concerned authorities of the State of Kuwait.

Ambassador Sibi George expressed his sincere gratitude to all the leadership of the State of Kuwait and concerned authorities in the State of Kuwait, including from Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Communications; Ministry of Interior; Kuwait Port Authority and Customs authorities for
their cooperation and support.

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