Security concerns: 21 Pak crew members on board vessel refused entry at Paradip port

Kendrapada/Bhubaneswar: Amid simmering tension between India and Pakistan, security agencies Wednesday refused 21 Pakistani crew members aboard a crude oil tanker from disembarking shortly after it anchored near Paradip port on Wednesday. The Hong Kong-flagged vessel, ‘MT Siren II', carrying 196,580 metric tonnes of unrefined oil, anchored at the Single Point Mooring (SPM) berth, around 20 km offshore from Paradip port.

The cargo is destined for Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) refinery in Paradip, a major oil refinery with 15 million tonne per annum capacity. Arun Bothra, additional director general (ADG) of coastal security in Odisha, said the cargo vessel has 25 crew members, including 21 from Pakistan. "Specific instructions were issued for the Pakistani nationals not to disembark from the ship as a precautionary measure," Bothra told TOI.

Superintendent of police (Jagatsinghpur) Bhawani Sankar Udgata said security measures were intensified immediately after immigration authorities identified Pakistani nationals among the crew. "The Pakistani crew will remain onboard," Udgata said. There would be no such restriction on the remaining four crew members, two each from India and Thailand respectively.

Multiple security agencies, including Marine Police, Indian Coast Guard, CISF, and Customs have been placed on high alert. The agencies have conducted thorough vessel searches and document verification of all crew members coming from South Korea via Singapore.

The state govt has been notified about the presence of Pakistani nationals, and the 17-year-old vessel will remain under constant surveillance throughout its stay near Paradip, the SP added.

The SPM, a floating buoy anchored offshore, facilitates the transfer of liquid cargo through underwater pipelines to the refinery. Sources said the ship will start unloading crude oil through the pipelines on Thursday and will take around 36 hours.

Generally, in such cases the crew members come to the port land to relax when the cargo is being unloaded. In this case, however, the Pakistani nationals will be under strict vigil on the ship itself though the security agencies have found nothing suspicious on them. "It is an abundance of precaution in view of the current situation," the SP added.