Indian vessel with 13 crew hijacked off Somalia

An Indian vessel with 13 Indian crew members was hijacked - for the second time in six months - Dec 16 by a gang of 8 to 9 pirates off Somalia, maritime officials said here Thursday.

An Indian vessel with 13 Indian crew members was hijacked - for the second time in six months - Dec 16 by a gang of 8 to 9 pirates off Somalia, maritime officials said here Thursday.

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The vessel, MSV Nefaya, was on a voyage from Kismaayo in Kenya to Sharjah carrying a cargo of over 26,000 bags of charcoal, the Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS) said here.

The DGS immediately alerted the Indian Coast Guard of the incident and also informed the ship's owner, seeking a list of the Indian crew members and updates on the vessel.

Presently, no information is available on the vessel's whereabouts or the status of the crew members, the DGS said.

This is the second time that the same vessel was hijacked in the past six months, according to DGS. The M.S.V. Nefaya was hijacked July 10 and released after five days near the Bossaso port, off the Somalian coast.

The ship's owners informed the DGS Thursday that the hijacked vessel was on a regular run from Mogadishu to Dubi and back and also carrying a month's stock of water and rations. It is suspected that the vessel may be used as a mother vessel by the pirates, the DGS said.