Somali pirates on Friday hijacked the MV Fairchem Bogey and took the crew of 21 Indians hostage. All concerned agencies including the Indian Navy, have been informed and the Directorate-General of Shipping is monitoring the situation.
“... a 25,300-tonne chemical tanker has been hijacked by suspected pirates on August 20. The vessel was anchored at Oman’s Salalah port awaiting berthing. The vessel has a crew of 21 Indians and, for now, all of them are reported to be safe,” read a statement from Anglo Eastern Ship Manage-ment (India) Pvt. Ltd.
According to a company spokesperson, eight pirates boarded the vessel between 5 am and 6 am local time. “The pirates broke into the engine control room where the crew had temporarily assembled. The Royal Oman Coast Guard tried to approach, but the pirates asked them to move away... So, to avoid any casualties, the Coast Guard desisted from making any move,” he said.
The Royal Oman Navy too lay back after the pirates opened fire and threatened to harm the crew. The vessel was last seen moving towards Somalia.