Ukraine's Foreign Ministry together with counterparts from the United Kingdom and Estonia intends to appeal against an Indian court ruling that has arrested sailors and guards of Seaman Guard Ohio ship, representative of the Ukrainian consular service department Yevhen Ihnatovsky has said.

"A court of first instance in Tuticorin, India, delivered a ruling on January 11. According to the court decision, the crew members and guards, including three Ukrainian citizens, were sentenced to five years in prison. Currently, the diplomatic missions of Ukraine, the UK, and Estonia, whose citizens were among the crew members, along with lawyers are working on further actions to protect the rights of their citizens. The position of the defense is to appeal against the court's ruling in a higher court of the Indian Tamil Nadu state," Ihnatovsky said in a commentary to Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

As reported, Indian Tamil Nadu state police took into custody 35 crew members of Seaman Guard Ohio ship which was arrested on October 18, 2013. The vessel was involved in a fight against sea pirates and belongs to the U.S. company Advanfort. The ship's crew included sailors from India, the UK, Ukraine, and Estonia. The whole crew was charged with illegal transportation of fuel, arms, and illegal entry into territorial waters.

In July, 2015, the Indian Supreme Court sent the case of the ship's guards back to the Tuticorin court, and set a six-month deadline for the court proceedings, until mid-January of 2016.