He said the crew had sent a fax to the Directorate General of Shipping last week stating that they were not legally responsible for the bank guarantee and salvage contract. But there has been no reply from the either the MMD or the DG. “We feel we are being held hostages in India. We cannot accept this treatment in a country which is ruled by law,” Capt Dawood told The Indian Express.

Shipping experts corroborate their contention. “You cannot detain any ship’s crew without written orders, either from the DG shipping or a court of law. And existing law and practice do not allow you to detain them when the investigations have not found them guilty,” said a Government expert.

While both the MMD head and his superior at Jamnagar, Captain J K Shukla, remained tightlipped, sources in the department said India was not a place to dispose of junk ships. While it was legally not possible to “detain” them, the crew could not be allowed to leave India until they took away the ship, they added.