21 Indian sailors released by pirates

21 Indian sailors aboard the ship MV Fairchem Bogey, which was hijacked last August, have been released by the pirates, Directorate General of Shipping said here today.

This is a second piece of good news for the Indian seafaring community within a fortnight. Seventeen sailors from a hijacked Iranian ship had been released late last month.

"All the 21 sailors are safe and the ship is now on its way to a safe port," Director General of Shipping (DGS), SB Agnihotri, told PTI here.

With this, the number of Indian sailors in captivity of Somali pirates aboard various ships comes down to 22, he added.

The Marshall Island-flagged Fairchem Bogey, a chemicals-oil tanker, had been hijacked from the Salalah port anchorage off the coast of Oman in August.

Declining to say when exactly the sailors would return, Agnihotri said the ship had security guards on board at present.

DGS had earlier said that the vessel was managed by Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (I), Mumbai.

Some reports in the international press said that ransom was paid to secure the release but Agnihotri declined to comment.