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Pirates free UK-flagged ship with 5 Indians, 20 others
After more than five months in captivity, five Indians kidnapped by Somalian pirates from a cargo ship have been released unharmed, an official of the Directorate General of Shipping said today.
After more than five months in captivity, five Indians kidnapped by Somalian pirates from a cargo ship have been released unharmed, an official of the Directorate General of Shipping said on Monday.
The Indians were part of a 25-member international crew on board MV Asian Glory, the UK-flagged vessel, which was hijacked on January 1, 2010 from the Indian Ocean off the Somalian coast.
The ship is being escorted to a safe port, the official said.
"We have received information from the representative of the owner of MV Asian Glory that the vessel has been released by Somali pirates on 11th June and is being escorted to a safe port," the official said.
"All crew members, including 5 Indian nationals, are reportedly safe and in good health," the official added.
The ship's crew comprised 10 Ukranians, 8 Bulgarians, and 2 Romanians besides the Indians.
Over the past three months, Somali pirates had seized 11 dhows (slow-moving vessels) with over 120 Indians on board.
However, they later released some of the vessels after a ransom was paid by the owners.
Over 50 Indians are still in their captivity.
Repeated attacks on Indian vessels had also prompted the government to issue warning to dhows about the dangers in those waters, particularly along the sea-lanes of Salalah in Yemen and Male.
