Marinera crisis: Merchant navy officer caught up in seizure of Russian tanker; kin seek PM’s help

Rakshit Chauhan, a 26‑year‑old merchant navy officer from Palampur in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, is among three Indian nationals detained after a Russian‑flagged oil tanker was seized by the United States in the North Atlantic on January 7. Rakshit, on his first sea assignment with a Russian employer and posted to the Marinera tanker bound for Venezuela, was stopped at sea after the US Coast Guard intercepted the vessel amid broader sanctions enforcement.