Maritime Guards Freed from Indian Prison

Maritime security company Advanfort said several of its guards have been freed from Indian Prison after several months of negotiations. The bail order excludes the vessel’s captain and the TDO, and the release comes with conditions. Advanfort said it will make more details available when the bail order is received.

The detainees were arrested in the Indian Ocean while working on the company's vessel, the Seaman Guard Ohio, for entering Indian territorial waters. The vessel’s master maintains that they were in international waters. It was argued that a vessel might have drifted due to winds factor, as there was a cyclone storm at the time, but this should have been treated as force majeure.