A wave of panic had gripped the Indian seamen way back in 2004 when four of the crew of a vessel, Baltic Leader, served a four-month jail term in connection with the accidental death of a diver in Greece. The four were then banned from entering Europe for three years.
“I remember the incident when Prabhakar (name changed), a Keralite friend of mine along with three of his Indian colleagues were arrested in Greece following the accidental death of a diver while working on a bow thruster hydraulic line (propeller to move sideways without the help of tug boats).
The incident happened due to some miss communication that resulted in accidental starting of the bow thruster motor,” recounts T.G. Niranjan, who is a chief engineer at Sea Team Management.
”The local residents were emotionally charged and were shouting during the court proceedings. The four were taken to jail with other criminals and the authorities refused to accept their pleadings,” he said.
But, the Indian government and the vessel crew had intervened. After much difficulty, the four were moved to an open jail that had better conditions.
They were banned from entering Europe for 3 years, he added. Prabhakar said the Indian government and his company saved him.