Merchant vessel captain returns to India after spending 16 months in Mauritius jail over oil spill

The Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio, under the command of Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, was en route to Brazil from China when it veered off its course and hit a coral reef

Merchant vessel captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who was after his ship ran aground in July 2020 and triggered an oil spill off its coast, has returned to India following his release from the island country.

Mr Nandeshwar, who resides with his family members in Bhopal, reunited with them on Thursday. "I am extremely thankful to the Maritime Union of India (MUI) for its support and help in securing my release from Mauritius jail. I am back home because of the relentless efforts of the MUI general secretary Amar Singh Thakur, who consistently pursued my release from the jail through a series of negotiations and representations with the local maritime union of Mauritius, High Commission of India in Port Louis, Shipping Ministry of India and External Affairs Ministry of India," said Mr Nandeshwar in a release issued by the MUI, India's oldest union of merchant navy officers.

Expressing happiness over his return, his wife Namrata said, "Yes, finally my husband is back and our ordeal is over. He is fine and has safely reached home."