As desperation deepens over the liberty of, and justice for, MV OHIO crew and guards—including the attempted suicide of the vessel’s chief engineer last weekend, this after being jailed on charges already proven to be factually inaccurate—outrage is beginning to grow around the world.

In recent days, hundreds of people—some fellow seafarers, many others completely unrelated to the maritime industry but moved by the plight of MV OHIO’s multinational professionals—have signeda petitionto the Indian government demanding the immediate release of the crew members, who include Indian, British, Estonian and Ukrainian nationals, among others.

Offers to help continue to pour in at AdvanFort International headquarters as news reports—the latest an exposéin the respected maritime journal gCaptainof the Indian Coast Guard's wildly inaccurate claims—have called into question the very legitimacy of Indian government promises of respect for human rights generally, and that of seafarers in particular.

“What can I as an American citizen do to help the release of your ship?” ask one missive, reflecting the general frustration caused by these news reports. “I have written both my Senators and the Indian (consulate) here in Atlanta.

“Hope that helps. Prayers and best wishes for your crew.”

Such solidarity comes as lawyers for AdvanFort in New Dehli are pressing to have the court there—itself the frequent target of complaints about unbelievably long periods of inaction—move quickly and, based on evidence of Indian Coast Guard equivocations, to immediately release the MV OHIO team.

Tags: AdvanFort Company