Freed Indian crew head for home

A Panama-registered vessel with 14 Indian crewmen aboard, which was confined in Somalia for six-and-half months, has been released, a statement by Indian maritime authority said on Tuesday.

The Indian Embassy in Nairobi cleared the travel formalities for the Indian crew members and they left for home late on Monday night by an Air India flight.

The general cargo ship MV Jaikur-I and its 21-strong international crew had been detained in Somali capital Mogadishu since October 2 last year owing to a dispute between owners and other concerned parties, the director general of Shipping (DGS) said.

The dispute had arisen due to a pending insurance and court case concerning its damaged cargo. The case was profiled as criminal abduction, since the har-
bour-master, influenced by powerful businessmen, had ignored orders from the
prime minister’s office (PMO) to release the international crew, who had resorted to a hunger strike.

On the other hand, the owner of the vessel has resisted from removing the vessel from the harbour to an instructed anchorage. The crew was released on Monday. 

Apart from 14 Indians, three Pakistanis, two Somalis, the captain who is an Iraqi and one Filipino make up the crew. All are reported to be safe and in good health, the DGS said.