Pirates release another Indian dhow with 11 sailors

Somalian pirates have released a fifth Indian dhow with 11 sailors on board while negotiations are on for freeing the remaining three vessels captured last month, a shipping association said in Ahmedabad today.

Somalian pirates have released a fifth Indian dhow with 11 sailors on board while negotiations are on for freeing the remaining three vessels captured last month, a shipping association said in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

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"Sea Queen, a slow moving vehicle (dhow), hijacked by the pirates last month was released on April 3 but the sailors could not communicate it to us as the equipment was looted by pirates," president of Kutch Vahanvati Association (KVA) Kasam Ali Bholim said.

"Pirates released the vessel and crew members after looting all the things on the dhow as it ran out of fuel," Bholim said.

"The crew somehow manged to reach Sicotra Islands near Somalia and informed us about their release using communication equipment of another ship," Bholim said.

Sea Queen is owned by a Gandhidham-based member of KVA, Bholim said.

Pirates have so far released five of the eight vessels hijacked by them last month.

Three other vessels are still with the pirates with over 40 crew members and the shipping association is negotiating with pirates for their release.