New Delhi [India], June 13 (ANI): Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) General Secretary Manoj Yadav on Saturday dismissed reports claiming that four Indian sailors were killed in an overnight attack on the MT Liaki Freedom vessel, calling it misinformation and warning about the wider impact of fake news in the maritime sector.
Speaking about the situation to ANI, he said, "A fake report has been spreading since last night that 4 Indian sailors were killed on the MT Liaki Freedom vessel. We contacted the ship directly. The Ministry of External Affairs has also stated that no such incident has taken place."
Highlighting concerns over misinformation and safety of Indian sailors, he added, "Today you are seeing that we have already lost 3 Indian sailors. In between 18000 to 20,000 Indian sailors are currently stranded in that region. Because of maritime misinformation, there is an atmosphere of tension everywhere. It's not just the sailors there is fear among Indians as well."
Yadav further stressed the need for government intervention, saying, "Thousands of Indian sailors are stranded in West Asia. People have the means to spread information, and in such a situation, misinformation has a huge impact. It is very important to see what steps the Government of India and DG Shipping will take in such a situation."
He also pointed out the lack of a proper response mechanism, stating, "There is no 24/7 contact or verification system for such cases. You can see that in every sector there is an emergency contact helpline, but in the merchant navy sector there is no such team or number that people can contact. There should be a permanent coordination committee to share important information and to refute any fake news after verification. I have raised this demand with the Government of India on behalf of the Forward Seamen's Union of India."
Meanwhile, India has spoken to the Master of the vessel Liaki Freedom, who confirmed that the crew members are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.
The MEA flagged the previous inputs as false reports and said, "We have spoken with the Master of the vessel Liaki Freedom, who has confirmed that all crew members are safe and that the reported information is false."
The clarification by the Ministry of External Affairs comes shortly after it was falsely reported that several media outlets that Indians had been killed in an overnight attack on the vessel Liaki Freedom, off Oman.
According to vesseltracker.com, Liaki Freedom is a Marshall Islands-flagged tankship.
In a post on X, MEA Fact Check also warned people to stay alert against such false and baseless claims and posts on social media. (ANI)
