Ahmedabad/Mumbai , March 31: With the fate of seven Indian cargo vessels hijacked by Somali pirates still hanging in the balance, there are reports of two new incidents of piracy on the high seas. Somali pirates hijacked a Panama-flag vessel from Yemen with a 24-member multinational crew, including six Indians, and a Dubai-based cargo vessel with 11 Indians. Eight Indian dhows with 97 Indians are already in Somali captivity.

The 17 Indians are reportedly all from Kutch, Gujarat.
The Panamanian vessel MV Iceberg-1 was hijacked around 10 nautical miles off the Gulf of Aden on Monday, said a Directorate-General of Shipping spokesperson, adding, “We received the information about the hijack from the Coast Guard. UAE-based Azal Shipping and Cargo are the owners of the ship. We are trying to get the details of the Indian crew members on board from the owners and the management company. We shall get in touch with the authorities there for the release of the crew members.”
“Eleven men from Mandvi who were working on the Dubai-based vessel Al-Barari were taken hostage after Somali pirates hijacked the ship from near the port of Mogadishu,” said Kutch Vahanvati Association (KVA) president Kasam Ali Bholim, adding, “The pirates attacked the ship when it was anchored near Mogadishu port after unloading the cargo it had brought from Dubai.” He said he had obtained information about this hijack from the crew of another vessel anchored at the same port. The Al Barari had unloaded its cargo at Mogadishu and was on its way to a nearby port identified as Ismail when it was hijacked, said Ahmed Haji, a vessel owner from Mandvi, Kutch.
Meanwhile, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding adequate security cover for sailors operating out of Gujarat.
“When such incidents happened in the past, we informed the Central government’s Director-General of Shipping and requested that he do enough to prevent the repetition of such incidents. However, the government of India has not taken enough action in this direction, because of which Gujarat’s historical trade and commerce relations with African countries is in danger,” he said in the letter.
According to Mr Modi, the government of India should employ Indian Navy and Coast Guard vessels to ensure the safety of Indian ships involved in transportation of agricultural goods.
Mr Modi also requested the Centre to prepare a policy for the safety of Indian ships through the existing Central committee appointed by the Centre for the welfare of Indian sailors.
Adam Bhaya, secretary of the Cargo Vessels Association of Gujarat, said Wednesday that small cargo vessel owners in India, Pakistan and the UAE have decided against plying to Somalia until their vessels are set free. “We have demanded security for vessels plying in the broader expanse of the Gulf of Aden before we recommence operations on the route,” he added.
Ahmed Haji Hasan, whose vessel too was hijacked by pirates last Sunday, confirmed there has been no demand for ransom from the pirates as yet. “We are in constant touch with the families of the crew members of the vessels,” Mr Hasan said.

Deepal Trivedi and Dippy Vankani