Two ships with evacuees from Yemen to reach Kochi on Saturday

KOCHI: Two passenger ships with Indians and foreign nationals evacuated from conflict-hit Yemen are expected to reach the port here tomorrow afternoon, officials said today.

The ships, sent by the government, had reached Djibouti with armed naval commandos and under naval escort on board on April 5 and departed from there on April 12.

"Two vessels of Lakshadweep Administration, M V CORALS and M V KAVARATTI with 475 Indians, Bangladeshis and Yemeni citizens of Indian origin are expected back in Cochin Port on April 18 afternoon," a Cochin Port Trust release said.

A Port Trust official said the two ships were expected to arrive at 2.30 pm tomorrow.

The Port Trust's Chairman Paul Antony today held a meeting of various agencies, including district administration, the Non Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA), in connection with the arrival of the evacuees.

The port trust said NORKA and the district administration in coordination with Railways were overseeing the arrangements for onward travel of the Indians arriving by the ships.

Officials from Bangladesh government are also in the town to co-ordinate onward travel of Bangladesh nationals, it said.

Responding to the requirement for evacuation of Indian citizens from Yemen, the Ministry of Shipping arranged to send the two vessels, which together have a capacity to evacuate 1,150 passengers, from the Cochin Port on March 30.

The vessel M V KAVARATTI, which had sailed off to Lakshadweep on the previous evening on a routine voyage, was urgently called back and the passengers offloaded onto two other vessels.

The two vessels were then re-equipped fully with supplies of bunker, provisions, fresh water and medicines arranged overnight. The vessels also carried a doctor and paramedical staff on board.

The ships started their voyage to Djibouti Port soon after the government decided to evacuate Indian nationals amid the chaotic situation in the Gulf country.

India has earlier evacuated more than 4,600 Indians and around 960 nationals from 41 countries from the war-ravaged Yemen through special flights.