By Sandhya Ravishankar CHENNAI, India, Jan 11 (Reuters) - An Indian court on Monday sentenced crew members of a private American ship, including 25 foreigners, to five years in prison for illegal possession of arms in Indian waters in a verdict that could spark diplomatic tension. The crew, which included foreign nationals from Ukraine, Estonia and six British former … [Read more...]
India Drops Charges Against Advanfort Private Security Crew
A High Court in India has dropped the charges against the crew and guards from a US-based private security ship 8 months after the legal battle began. Washington, D.C.-based security firm Advanfort reports that the Madras High Court has quashed charges against the 35-member crew of the security ship MV Seaman Guard Ohio after the court could not substantiate any of the … [Read more...]
SAMI Responds to Harsh Accusations from AdvanFort
AdvanFort, the US-based maritime security firm owned by Palestinian businessman Samir Farajallah and run by his son Ahmed, withdrew today from the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) on the grounds that after repeated requests made to SAMI to assist in the freeing of his company's security guards held in India, "his calls and emails went unanswered." SAMI … [Read more...]
India Releases Crew of AdvanFort Security Ship on Bail
6 months after being detained (captured) by Indian authorities, maritime security contractors from the Seaman Guard Ohio have been released on bail according to a press release today from AdvanFort maritime security. "The bail order exclude the vessel’s captain and the TDO," notes AdvanFort and the conditions of their release are not yet available. The arrest of the crew … [Read more...]
Bail Denied for Detained Advanfort Crew in India
India's High Court has refused bail for the 35 crewmembers of a U.S. owned private security vessel that India says was carrying undocumented weapons and ammunition in its territorial waters. BBC News reports that although no charges have been filed against the crew, under Indian law they should be charged or released within 90 days, and only two weeks remain of this … [Read more...]
Sierra Leone Files Official Protest Against India’s Illegal Detainment of Vessel Crew
In protest against the Indian government's detainment of 33 sailors from the AdvanFort-chartered maritime security vessel Seaman Guard OHIO, the Sierra Leone ship registry has filed an official complaint today. The complaint, posted below, protests the illegal detainment of the ship's crew after it was allegedly lured into India's territorial waters by Indian authorities … [Read more...]
Document Contradicts Indian Government’s Claim Over Ship Arrest
As the media responds to the recent arrest of the vessel MV SEAMAN GUARD OHIO, the predominant headlines report that the armed vessel violated Indian sovereignty by sailing within the country's 12 nautical mile "territorial waters" limit. A newly released document from the Tamil Nadu Police tells a different story. The document, written in Tamil, states that the MV Seaman … [Read more...]