21 Crew Of Cargo Ship Stage Protest Over Year-Long Detention After Rs 220 Cr Cocaine Seizure In Odisha’s Paradip

Paradip: All the 21 crew members of M V Devi cargo ship, which has been stranded in Odisha’s Paradip port after the seizure of cocaine worth Rs 220 crore last year, staged a protest against their detention.

Sources said that the cargo ship, which has been detained in the anchorage area, had been taken to the berth for water and fuel when the crew members launched the protest.

Strongly protesting their detention for around a year, the crew members staged a sit-in inside the ship. As the crew members refused to work, the cargo ship was unable to move to the anchorage area and got stuck at the berth.

Following the development, the port authorities are stated to have initiated efforts to resolve the issue through talks.

Notably, the 21 crew members were detained after sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and customs seized cocaine worth Rs 220 crore from the cargo ship on November 30, 2023.

The Panama registered cargo ship had reportedly started its voyage from Egypt and arrived at Paradip via the Gresik port in Indonesia. It was scheduled to leave for Denmark with steel plates. It had anchored at the Paradip International Cargo Terminal.