To get the government to act upon the release of 7 Indian crew members taken hostage by Somali pirates despite getting the demanded ransom, the body staged a protest march at Jahaz Bhavan.
In order to get the government take some action for the seven Indian crew members of Panama flagged vessel taken hostage by the Somali pirates despite getting the demanded ransom, the National Seafarer Union of India (NSUI) staged protest march on Wednesday at Jahaz Bhavan.
Post this protest march the director general of shipping announced that he would be meeting the minister of external affairs on Thursday to discuss the release of the seven Indian crew members held hostage by the pirates. Discussions will be made to take a decision about swap deal as the pirates have been demanding release of arrested pirates for the release of hostages.
The ship, MT Asphalt Venture, was hijacked in September last year and since then the ship owners had been negotiating with the Somali pirates for release of the ship and the fifteen Indian crew members onboard. Last Friday, according to the deal, a multi-million dollar ransom was paid to the pirates but the pirates released only eight crew members, one officer and seven sailors.
They took six officers and one sailor back to the Somali mainland along with them. The ship owners and the company managing the ship, OMCI Shipping, have since then been trying to get in touch with the pirates for further negotiations.
“In a mark of protest and to show solidarity with the seven seafarers, and also other Indian seafarers, an industry march was organised by the NSUI, Maritime Union of India (MUI) and Indian National Ship-owners Association (INSA), Foreign Owners Representative and Shipmanagers Association (FOSMA), Maritime Association of Shipowners, Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA) and other stake holders. The march was co-ordinated by NSUI. The intention is to highlight the crisis and demand the safety of the Indian seafarers from the government” said Abdulgani Serang, general secretary cum treasurer, NSUI.
The march started at around 3pm from the Royal Bombay Seamens Society and ended at the office of the Director General of Shipping in Ballard Estate. A petition was handed over to the Directorate General of Shipping. Similar marches on the same day and time were held in Chennai, Kochi, Diu, Kolkata, Tuticorin, DehraDun and Chiplun.
A third party negotiating company, said to be international experts in negotiating with pirates, has been appointed, and according to the OMCI spokesperson, measures are being taken to get in touch with the pirates and other groups so that the hostages could be released.
The ship, earlier in the Somali waters, is now sailing towards South at a very low speed but will not sail towards India before the remaining crew members are released.
“An Indian Navy Frigate deployed in the high seas for anti-piracy operations has been escorting the ship outside the Somali waters so that ship is safe and is not attacked by any other pirate group,” said Sunil Puri spokesperson for the shipping company.
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