Captain Vijay Kumar and seven other Indian seafarers have left Bandar Abbas, Iran, for the Armenian border, nearly four months after their ship was detained. The UAE-based MT Valiant Roar was seized by Iran's IRGC on December 8, 2025, on suspicion of smuggling diesel. Regional crises and strikes on Iran delayed their release.
On Sunday, Captain Vijay Kumar and seven other Indian seafarers took taxis from Bandar Abbas, Iran, heading to the Armenian border about 2,000 km away. Their UAE-based vessel, MT Valiant Roar, was detained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in international waters off Dibba port near the UAE coast on December 8, 2025, on suspicion of smuggling 6,000 tonnes of diesel, though official records indicated it carried very low sulphur fuel oil. Of the 16 Indians aboard, eight returned home on February 11 following intervention by the Delhi High Court. The remaining eight faced delays due to the West Asia crisis and strikes on Iran. Vijay's cousin Vinod Panwar in Noida said, “On February 27, Vijay and the seven others signed their release papers and we were ecstatic that they will be returning soon, after completing the documentation processes from the Indian Embassy-side within the next 3-4 days. But on February 28 the war broke out and they were stuck.” Vinod recounted receiving a WhatsApp message from Vijay around 2-3 pm on December 8: “we’re being chased/detained by the naval forces.” The family alerted the Dubai operator, which adopted a “wait and watch” approach. Communication was cut off for nearly two weeks as Vinod contacted embassies and ministries.
