Indian shipping officials said they have received an official communication from Sharjah claiming that the Jordan-registered cargo vessel MV Victoria, hijacked on May 17, has been traced.
Indian shipping officials on Tuesday said they have received an official communication from Sharjah claiming that the Jordan-registered cargo vessel MV Victoria, hijacked on May 17, has been traced.
A report from the Directorate General of Shipping’s office said the vessel with 21 crew members, including 10 Indians, on board, was found anchored at Hobiyo, 500 km north of Mogadishu.
Officials said this lent credibility to the hijack theory, since the area is considered a breeding ground of pirates and marine smugglers.
Captain Amarjit Singh Chadha, senior marine consultant and in-charge of DG Shipping Communication Centre, said, “We have no information that the crew are missing. In all probability they are safe.”
Marwan Shipping, the managing agency, has told DG Shipping that the crew were safe. They have denied any knowledge of any ransom demands by the Somali hijackers.
The shipping ministry has also informed the home ministry and the ministry of external affairs on the developments. Indian intelligence agencies are also monitoring the developments, sources said.
Officials here are trying to establish contact with the hijackers through the consignees based in Mogadishu. The ship was last reported to be heading toward Hobiyo.
The coast guard’s Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai is co-ordinating with its counterparts in Yemen, Seychelles and Norway. Indian officials and marine agencies had earlier alerted the Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre of International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
“Now the aim is to get an accurate account of the nature of piracy and the people behind the incident,” said deputy director general of shipping (technical) Deepak Kapoor.
“International agencies have been alerted and the necessary protocol is being adhered to. We are leaving nothing to chance to get the ship’s crew back safe,” said nautical adviser to the government of India, MM Saggi.
The directorate has also approached the ministry of transport in Jordan requesting them to intervene and sort out the issue with the hijackers.
The cargo vessel, owned by the Five Seas Company, had started her journey with 4,200 metric tonnes of sugar from Mumbai about a month ago.
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