NDTV reported Oct. 29 that six Indian seafarers have been stranded at Karachi port since April, while the family of chief officer Vineet Kishore Mishra says he cannot disembark or return home.
Mishra, a native of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and father of two, joined KEVER on Feb. 25, 2026, as its chief officer. NDTV reported that the general cargo vessel reached Karachi, Pakistan, on April 17 after traveling maritime routes involving Iran and Oman. The report said the six seafarers have remained stranded there since the ship's arrival, with no clear date for their return.
Neha Mishra told NDTV her husband's six-month contract ran through August and his visa expired, yet he remained on the ship. She said he had not been signed off and no arrangements had been made for him to travel home. Their calls last one or two minutes and take place roughly every 15 to 20 days, she said.
Neha said the vessel had been without electricity for three months. She and Lalit Kishore Mishra also reported problems with the crew's food and water. Lalit told NDTV his son described receiving two biscuits in the morning, with lunch and dinner coming much later.
The family attributed the ship's seizure in Karachi to a dispute involving an Iranian company and port officials. It also said power to the vessel had been cut and the crew's passports taken.
Neha said the family contacted the Indian Embassy in Pakistan; she and Lalit also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for help. She said officials gave assurances, but practical help had not followed. Lalit, an army veteran, said they spent four days in Delhi filing appeals with the prime minister's and president's offices and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Neha said their two children ask when their father will return; she tells them he will come home.
