After 10 months of detention, Heroic Idun's crew finally on their way to India
The crew of the oil vessel Heroic Idun, who had been detained in Nigeria for 10 months amidst a dispute, has commenced their return journey to their respective home countries. The crew, consisting of 16 Indians, eight Sri Lankans, one Polish, and one Filipino, arrived in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on June 7 and were transferred to hotels to prepare for their flights back home.
The international maritime charity Sailors' Society provided counseling and support to the seafarers throughout their ordeal. Members of the charity's Crisis Response Network were present in Cape Town to offer pastoral and psychosocial assistance as the crewmembers adapted to their newfound freedom. The charity’s team also made arrangements for the crew to return to their families and friends.
The Heroic Idun was impounded by Nigerian authorities who alleged that the vessel had illegally loaded oil in August 2022. Heroic Idun, meanwhile, maintained that an unidentified ship had stopped them in Nigerian waters, but since it did not have any official identification markers, they assumed it was a pirate ship and did not stop. They were then detained on August 14, as they entered Equatorial Guinea. Vijith, brother of Vismaya, whose suicide after months of domestic violence had sparked outrage in Kerala, was also among the Indian crew detained by the Equatorial Guinea Navy.
Initially detained in Equatorial Guinea, the ship was later returned to Nigeria where the crew was expected to stand trial. In April this year, a settlement was reached requiring the vessel's owners to pay a fine and publicly apologise to Nigeria.
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