Rabi Charan Kar is overjoyed that his son, who was among 25 Indians aboard a ship hijacked by Somali pirates two months ago, has finally been freed.
"A shipping company official from Mumbai informed us about the release of my son and we are happy," Kar said from Balasore, some 200 km from here.
Himanshu Kar, 29, was one of the 31 crew on board the MT Biscaglia, a Liberian flagged vessel that was hijacked Nov 28 by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden.
Rabi Charan Kar added that his son may arrive home in a fortnight.
Abdulgani Serang, general secretary of the National Union of Seafarers of India, told reporters in Mumbai Friday night that the crew of MT Biscaglia were released Thursday and that all of them were safe.
Besides Indians, there were three Bangladeshis, two Britons and an Irish sailor on the vessel. The Britons and the Irish national escaped after they jumped into the sea on being attacked and were later rescued.
The chemical tanker was carrying 16,282 tonnes of cargo and travelling between Indonesia and Europe.