Ship with Indians is hijacked
Mumbai, Jan. 27: Several Indian seafarers on a hijacked ship are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, with Somali pirates having hijacked a vessel without cargo onboard. Experts believe neither the owner of the ship nor the government will be keen to get the crew members rescued.
MV Layla S, a Cambodian flag vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.While the exact number is unknown, the crew is believed to be a mix of Indian, Pakistani, Somalia, Sri Lankan and probably Syrian people.
The ship according to the directorate-general, shipping, is believed to be managed by the UAE-based Al-Hufoof. According to the DG shipping, this is not a typical hijacking incident since the vessel was held after offloading the cargo in Berbera and could therefore be a business dispute with the crew being held as collateral. The DG shipping’s spokesperson further said that the crew in this case is believed to have been abandoned by the owner and it is thus likely that they have already been held captive for a few days.
“Upon receipt of the information, it was passed on to the ministry of shipping, ministry of external affairs, the coast guard and naval headquarters, New Delhi. We are in touch with various agencies for further updates,” the spokesperson said.
Abdulgani Serang, secretary-cum-treasurer of the National Union of Seafarers of India, however, said that the crewmembers will be the lone sufferers in the case with help coming from no quarters.
Dippy Vankani
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