Mumbai:
The hijacked Jordanian cargo ship with 10 Indians
among its crew was traced three days after it was
commandeered by heavily armed Somali pirates off
the Somalian coast. As per the reports received
today, the ship 'MV Victoria' was located at Garacad,
about 600 kms north of Somalian capital Moghadishu.
Further details are awaited and it was immediately
not known if any ransom demand was made.
According to Directorate General
of Shipping (DGS), the ship, which left Mumbai early
this month carrying humanitarian aid, was hijacked
about 55 kms near Moghadishu on Saturday in a string
of attacks off the lawless Somalian coast. 4,200
tonnes of bagged sugar were being taken to war-ravaged
Somalia hit by food shortages.
News of the vessel being traced
came even as Indian Navy ships were put on high
alert. Officials of the Kenya-based East Africa
Seafarers' Association were also involved in efforts
to locate the ship. Destroyer INS Delhi has been
put on stand-by and is ready to sail at a moment's
notice, Navy sources told the press.
Sea pirates in three speed
boats with heavy arms and guns hijacked the ship
which had 21 crew members. Besides the 10 Indians
there were two Burmese, two Bangladeshis, three
Kenyans and two Tanzanians.
India approaches Jordan:
Meanwhile, India has sought
the help of Jordan to secure the release of the
ship. "Indian authorities are in touch with
Jordan's foreign ministry and transport ministry
regarding the hijacked ship MV Victoria," a
diplomatic source told the press from the Jordanian
capital Amman.
US Navy offer help:
In a statement, DGS informed
that the Maritime Liaison Office Commander of the
US Naval Forces-Central Command, Bahrain, has offered
all possible help to free the vessel and the crew
members held hostage..
The Indian Coast Guard's Maritime
Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, is also coordinating
with the search and rescue agencies in Yemen, Seychelles
and Norway to alert their counterparts to initiate
necessary action against the piracy and furnish
relevant information here, the DGS said.
The ship is owned by Sharjah-based
Five Seas Company and operated by Sharjah-based
Marwan Shipping. MV Victoria, registered in Jordan,
was built in 1979. "The pirates have not made
any demands yet," Andrew Mwangura of the East
Africa Seafarers Assistance Programme said on Monday.
It was the second time MV Victoria was attacked.
Pirates tried to board it outside the Somali port
of Merka last year but the ship escaped.
