Security has been beefed up in the port town of Paradip after a Hong Kong-based merchant vessel with 21 Pakistani nationals on board docked 20km offshore on Wednesday morning.

MT Siren II is ferrying crude oil for Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

The ship, which arrived from South Korea via Singapore, has been docked at the single-point mooring terminal (SPM) with 25 crew members on board. Among them are two Indians, one each from Sri Lanka and Thailand. They have been asked not to disembark from the cargo ship.

The Odisha police swung into action after the Paradip immigration department informed them about the presence of the 21 Pakistani crew members on the ship.

The SPM is a mooring system used offshore to allow tankers to load or offload liquid cargo, such as oil, without docking at a shore-based terminal. The Paradip port has three SPMs located 20-25km offshore. SPM-I, designed to handle very large crude carriers (VLCCs), is about 20km from Paradip. The three SPMs are used for crude oil unloading through underground pipelines. The ship was stated to be carrying 1.96 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil.

Following the alert from the immigration department, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the coast guard, customs and port authorities initiated a protocol drill. “We are examining the presence of as many as 21 crew members in that ship. Whether it’s just a coincidence or part of any conspiracy will be known after verification of documents, which is going on,” said a senior Paradip port official.

The officials asked the Pakistani crew members not to deboard until they are
given clearances.

Keeping the palpable tensions between India and Pakistan in mind, the Odisha police and the coast guard have made robust security arrangements. Armed police personnel have been deployed at different points and are keeping a watch from a distance.

Jagatsingpur superintendent of police Bhawani Sankar Udgata said: “We have intensified security following a tip-off from the immigration department about the presence of Pakistani nationals among the crew at Paradip port, which comes under our jurisdiction.

“The Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to disembark from the ship. The two Indian crew members have been permitted to get off the vessel. But none of them have disembarked. So far, security agencies have not found any incriminating materials on the ship and all the documents, including certificates, are valid. The ship will be allowed to leave the Paradip sea after it unloads the oil meant for IOCL. The unloading is likely to be completed by Thursday.”