[klint]

This article says local officials were also holding his passport so that he couldn’t legally leave: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/chief-mate-strand...

[mycall]

I wonder if embassies can intervene under these conditions, when a foreign government will not release passport.

[bluGill]

They can, but will they? It is really tricky to handle this type of thing without declaring war. It's is also tricky for the other country to do this without getting war declared on them.