Indian Navy seeks report on abduction of Indian sailors off Somalia
March 30th, 2010 - 3:58 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, March 30 (IANS) The Indian Navy has sought a report from the director general of shipping on the reported abduction of 120 Indian sailors off the Somali coast, an officer said Tuesday.
“We have heard about the reported abduction of 120 Indian sailors and have sought a report on this from the director general of shipping,” an Indian Navy officer said here.
Media reports early Tuesday had said that Somali pirates hijacked eight Indian dhows carrying 120 sailors off Kismayo in southern Somalia.
The sailors, who are said to be from Gujarat’s Kutch and Saurashtra regions, were bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the reports said.
On Monday, a maritime official in Mombasa was quoted as saying that Somali pirates had seized a UAE-owned cargo ship with 24 crew in the waters off Somalia.
Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme said the 4,500-tonne Panamanian-flagged Iceberg 1, owned by Iceberg International Ltd, was carrying general mechanical equipment from Aden to the UAE.
The Icerberg I crew was composed of Indians, Yemenis, Filipinos, Pakistanis, Ghanaians and Sudanese, Mwangura told Xinhua news agency by telephone.
He said the seizure took place about 10 nautical miles from Aden.
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- Hostage crisis: Navy rushes warship to Somali coast - Apr 18, 2011
- Somali pirates seize Indian vessel - Dec 22, 2009
- Pirates seize Indian vessel with 14 crew off Oman (Lead) - Jan 12, 2011
- Somali pirates free 8 Indian crew, 7 still held hostage (Lead) - Apr 16, 2011
- No ship under Indian Navy's escort hijacked in Gulf of Aden since Oct 2008 - Apr 13, 2010
- Panama-flagged merchant vessel carrying cement bags hijacked in the Gulf of Aden - Aug 02, 2010
- Indian cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates off Oman - Jan 12, 2011
- Ship owners ask Somali pirates to release seven Indians (Lead) - Apr 17, 2011
Tags: abduction, aden, cargo ship, dhows, filipinos, ghanaians, indian navy, kismayo, kutch, mechanical equipment, nautical miles, navy officer, pakistanis, saurashtra, seafarers, somali coast, somali pirates, southern somalia, united arab emirates, xinhua news agency