Ahmedabad: Somalian pirates on Sunday released
a second vessel with 11 Indian sailors that was hijacked last
week while there was no word on the fate of six other dhows
and 85 Indian sailors captured by them.
The vessel Al-Kadri, which was hijacked by Somalian
pirates on March 28, was near Oman coast and on way to
Dubai after being released, president of Kutch Vahanvati
Association (KVA) Kasam Ali Bholim said.
Pirates had released another vessel `Krishna Jyot`
yesterday with 15 sailors on board.
"We came to know about the release of the vessel after
captain of Al-Kadri contacted his family members in Mandvi
(Kutch)," Bholim told PTI.
"All the 11 sailors are from Mandvi taluka in Kutch,
while the boat owner is from Mundra taluka," he added.
Bholim said that the pirates looted all navigation
equipment of the vessel and other valuables before releasing
it early today.
There is still no word about the remaining six dhows
hijacked by Somalian pirates in the last week of March and the
85 sailors on board.
India has approached Somalian government for help to
ensure the release of the captured dhows.
The merchandise conducted on seas is worth about USD
110 billion annually, with Indians being the major players.
India has positioned a naval warship in the Gulf of Aden
region since October 2008 to provide escort to Indian merchant
ships. However, the latest hijackings took place far from the
Gulf of Aden, indicating that the pirates are operating
much beyond.
Sources said there were indications that the pirates
were operating in south of the Indian Ocean as Maldives has
spotted some of them.
PTI
