Ranchi, March 20 Captain Rakesh Ranjan died on board a merchant vessel carrying oil near the Strait of Hormuz, his family said on Friday, urging the Centre and the Jharkhand government to help bring back his body.
Ranjan (43), based in Ranchi, had joined the vessel, ‘ASP Avana- RPSL-MUM-172’, owned by a private company, on February 2.
According to his family, Ranjan died on March 18, allegedly due to a cardiac arrest.
They claimed the ship had been stranded about 14 nautical miles off the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, after movement was halted in the region due to the West Asia conflict.
"I request Chief Minister Hemant Soren to help bring my brother’s body back at the earliest. The company should also not create any obstacles in releasing his financial dues and entitlements, and the government should monitor the matter," his elder brother Umesh Singh said.
"In addition, I urge the central government, the Indian consulate in Dubai, and the company to hand over my brother’s body to us at the earliest," he added.
Singh said letters have been sent to CM Soren and Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth seeking assistance in bringing back the body.
"My younger brother was serving as the ship's captain. On March 18, the company informed us that he had fallen from his chair after losing consciousness, and efforts were made to provide medical assistance. However, permission for airlifting him was not granted. He was later taken by boat to Port Rashid in Dubai, where he was declared dead," Singh told