Indian Port on Security Alert After Tanker Arrives with Pakistani Crew
The latest demonstration of the uneasy standoff between India and Pakistan is playing out in the Indian port of Paradip on India’s east coast far away from Pakistan. Port officials are confirming that the port was placed on a security alert after a tanker arrived with a Pakistani crew.
"The state government has been notified about the presence of Pakistani nationals, and the vessel will remain under constant surveillance throughout its stay at Paradip," said the local superintendent of police, reports the Times of India.
The situation began Wednesday morning, May 14, when the Hong Kong-registered crude oil tanker Siren II (298,078 dwt) arrived at the Paradip anchorage. The vessel, which is managed out of the UAE, is reported to have a crew of 25 aboard, mostly made up of Pakistanis as well as two Indians and one from Thailand.
The vessel is loaded with 196,580 metric tons of crude to be delivered to the Indian Oil Company’s refinery in Paradip. The vessel had previously made port stops according to the reports in South Korea and Singapore, and after reaching India was moored at one of the floating buoys approximately 12 miles offshore to begin its unloading process.
According to the media reports, the security measures were intensified in the port when the authorities determined that most of the crew was from Pakistan. The agencies are reported to have conducted a thorough search of the vessel and conducted a verification of the crewmembers’ documents.
The two Indian crewmembers were reportedly permitted to go ashore, but the authorities ordered all 21 of the Pakistanis to remain on the tanker for the duration of the port stay. The port will remain on “high alert” till the vessel departs.
This comes as the uneasy standoff continues between the two countries after a week of escalating fighting. The countries agreed to stop their attacks on Saturday, May 10, but there have continued to be reports of skirmishes. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the country for the first time earlier in the week saying that India was fully prepared to respond with force if there were any further terrorist attacks.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif continues to insist that his country has acted responsibly. They deny involvement in the attack that killed 26 people in Kashmir on April 22.
Both countries declared a military victory when the ceasefire went into effect last week. Tensions, however, remain high demonstrated by the current situation with the crew aboard the tanker.