A 26-year-old merchant navy officer from Himachal Pradesh has been detained after the Russian-flagged oil tanker he was working on was seized by United States forces, just weeks before he was due to return home for his wedding. Reported by Anup Dhiman from NDTV.
Rikshit Chauhan, a resident of Kangra district, was scheduled to come back to India ahead of his marriage next month when the tanker, Marinera (earlier known as Bella 1), was intercepted last week following a prolonged maritime pursuit. His family has now appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his safe return.
Chauhan was one of three Indian crew members onboard the vessel, which was reportedly tracked from the Caribbean Sea into the North Atlantic before being seized on January 7.
The tanker had been operating under a Russian flag and was carrying a multinational crew.
Family’s appeal
According to his family, Chauhan had been sent to Venezuela on his first sea assignment by his Russian employer. They last spoke to him hours before the vessel was seized.
"Please ensure the safe return of my son, Rikshit," his mother, Reeta Devi, appealed to the prime minister.
Speaking to reporters in Palampur, Kangra, she said her son’s marriage has been fixed for February 19.
"We talked to Rikshit for the last time on January 7 and are praying to God for his safe return before that date," she said.
"We appeal to the prime minister and the external affairs minister to ensure the safe return of Rikshit and two others from Goa and Kerala, who are also crew members of the same vessel," she added.
Chauhan’s father, Ranjit Singh, told NDTV that his son had joined the merchant navy on August 1, 2025.
"During our last conversation, Rikshit had said that he was well but indicated that further contact would be unlikely for some time.
He said that due to America's military action against Venezuela, the company had instructed them to return from Venezuela. We learnt on January 10 that our son's ship had been seized," Singh said.
He added that Chauhan had joined a Russian company that sent him to Venezuela to collect oil on his first assignment.
After waiting at the border for nearly 10 days, the vessel was called back before being seized by US authorities.
India’s response
Meanwhile, the Palampur MLA has sought details of the case and assured the family that he would raise the matter with the chief minister in Shimla.
Last week, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India was closely monitoring the situation and that authorities were working to confirm details regarding the Indian nationals onboard the tanker.
At the time of its seizure, the vessel had 28 crew members, including three Indians, 20 Ukrainians, six Georgians and two Russians.
All crew members remain under detention, except for the two Russian nationals who were released on Sunday.
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