10 of Asian Forest crew released

10 of Asian Forest crew released

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Dec 22: The Dakshina Kannada district administration has released 10 members of the Asian Forest, a Chinese freighter that sank into the Arabian Sea in July 2009. 

Asian Forest, registered in Hong Kong, was carrying around 13,600 tons of iron ore to China. The ship had set sail on July 17, 2009, and got into trouble just a few hours later. The Indian Coast Guard saved the crew of the ship. The district administration took custody of their passports and provided them all the required facilities for their stay in Mangalore.


The officials concerned said that 10 crew members were released on humanitarian grounds. Eight more members of the Asian Forest crew, including the engineer and the captain of the ship, still remain the guests of the district administration. The district administration intends to release them after the ship’s owners completely remove the fuel from the wreck. 

The owners of Asian Forest have written a letter to the district administration stating that they intend to clear the wreck by January. They said that they had hired the services of a salvaging company to remove the oil. The work, which is scheduled to begin in January, will be completed at the end of the month. The district administration had responded that it would release the other 8 members of the crew only after the wreck has been cleared from the Arabian Sea.

The released members of the crew are permitted to leave India as early as they wish. The owners of Asian Forest are to make the required arrangements for their departure.