Keralam sailor stranded in Iran gets emergency travel document to return home

An Indian seafarer from Keralam has been stranded at Iran's Chabahar Port and the government is making all efforts to bring him back, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

As sailor Akshay Harish lost his passport and some other documents, the MEA said an 'Emergency Certificate' has been issued to facilitate his return to India.

The Indian Consulate in Bandar Abbas is in regular contact with the Indian national and continues to extend all possible assistance, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his regular media briefing.

"The consulate received a call from Akshay Harish on November 9 and during the conversation, Akshay informed that he had joined the merchant vessel Plam Marine in Japan in 2025," he said.

"Upon arrival at Chahbahar port, the captain informed him that his passport and continuous discharge certificate had been lost. Subsequently, Akshay was disembarked from the vessel at Chahbahar," Jaiswal said.

Akshay also informed that vessel owner is providing boarding and lodging to him.

"Subsequent to his call, our Consulate immediately contacted the vessel's owner and agent, briefed them on the formalities required for the issuance of an Emergency Certificate (EC). We have issued him the EC and are making all efforts to facilitate his early return to India," Jaiswal said.

An emergency certificate is an official one-way travel document valid for a single journey back to India. It is issued when an Indian citizen loses his or her passport and needs to return to India urgently.

The EC essentially acts as a temporary passport when the person concerned cannot wait for issuance of a standard replacement passport.- Ends