Eight Indian seafarers who were detained in Iran in December have returned home after weeks of delay caused by the war in the Middle East.
The men were part of an 18-member crew - 16 Indians and one each from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - on a ship seized by Iranian authorities who alleged they were smuggling fuel. The company operating the ship denied this.
Eight crew members returned to India on 10 February. The remaining eight Indians reached home on Sunday after an arduous journey that involved travelling via land to Armenia and then taking a flight via Dubai.
The crew members from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also flew back to their countries from Armenia.
The ship, MT Valiant Roar, operated by Dubai-based Prime Tankers LLC, was seized on 8 December while it was in international waters.
