The 35 men have been in an Indian prison since October after the 197-dwtoperator support vessel Seaman Guard Ohio (built 1984) was detained off theport of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu state.

Judicial Magistrate C Kathiravan granted conditional bail to the men oncethey posted an INR 10,000 ($161) surety bond, according to The Hindu newspaper.

The crew had been arrested on charges related to an unauthorised purchase ofsubsidised fuel but the vessel was at the centre of a controversy because ofthe presence of a cache of weapons.

AdvanFort,