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India: Inquiry probes hijack of sailors and vessels
 [ADN Kronos] (AKI/Asian Age) - Indian authorities are investigating reports that about 100 Indians have been taken captive by pirates off Somalia's coast. Crew members from an Indian ship recently released by pirates told naval officials that eight other Indian boats had been captured in the last few days.A shipping association based in the western state of Gujarat has told The Asian Age that seven of its vessels had been hijacked, but it is unclear whether the vessels taken were fishing boats or cargo ships. "Around Saturday afternoon we got information that seven of our vessels were hijacked by Somali pirates in mid-sea," Kutch Vahanvati Association (KVA) president Kasam Ali Bholim said on Tuesday. "Eight to 100 crew members of these vessels have been captured. We have already approached the port authorities and the director-general of shipping in this regard," he said. Piracy has made the seas off the Horn of Africa among the most dangerous in the world and attacks often increase between March and May when the seas are calmer. In Mumbai, a spokesman for the directorate-general of shipping said it had issued directions prohibiting sailing vessels to trade south and west of the line joining Salalah and Male with immediate effect. "These vessels had been operating in or near the pirate-infested area near the Gulf of Aden," the spokesman said. "Ninety-seven lndian seafarers are reported to be on these vessels. The exact dates of their hijacking have not yet been confirmed." The dhows, sailing from Somalia to Dubai, were been last known to have dropped anchor in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia. Shipping ministry sources have issued advisories warning Indian merchant vessels not to stray into Somali waters. Posted by: Fred 2010-04-02 |
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