Pirates keeping 7 Indian hostages despite taking ransom

Mumbai/Mogadishu, Apr 16 (PTI) Somali pirates who took
a multi-million dollar ransom for hijacked Indian freighter MT
Asphalt Venture, have refused to release seven of the 15
Indian crew members held as hostages, in the first such step
by sea-brigands.
Mumbai-based OMCI Ship Management, the owners of the
ship, Saturday clarified that all the crew members of the
ill-fated vessel were Indians and seven of them were still
being held.
The ship owners said that the pirates released the
ship and eight of the crew members but added they were in the
dark over why the other crew members were not allowed to leave
and about their whereabouts.
"Despite concluding a dialogue with the pirates for
the full release of 15 crew and vessel and payment of the
ransom, the vessel has been released but the Master has
reported that 6 officers and 1 rating were taken off the
tanker and were made to accompany the pirates," OMCI Ship
Management said.
A pirate told The Associated Press the Indian crew
members' hostage ordeal is being prolonged in retaliation for
the arrests of more than 100 Somali pirates by the Indian
Navy.
"We decided to keep the Indians because India is
holding our colleagues," the pirate, Hassan Farah, was quoted
as saying.
The asphalt/bitumen tanker was hijacked by pirates on
way to South Africa from Kenya, southeast of Dar es Salaam in
Tanzania on September 28, 2010. Eight of the captives were
released on April 15 after over six months of negotiations.
Owners are at a fix over the development while there
is no trace of the Indian crew still in the captivity of the
pirates, Sunil Puri, India representative of MTI Networks
managing crisis communication for the company told PTI.
"... owners are unable to establish where the six
officers and one rating had been taken and the reason for
their continued detention. They are currently using all
resources and channels available with them to understand the
reasons behind this act," he said.
"Some media reports suggest that the pirates in
Harardhere, off the Somalian shores, have taken the decision
not to honour the agreement made but to prolong the hostage
ordeal of the seven seafarers in retaliation for the arrest of
Somali pirates by the Indian Navy," he added.
Meanwhile, OMCI said it is making contact with all the
families of the captives to explain the situation and have
assured them that all steps are being taken for their safe
release.
The company said the vessel remains some five nautical
miles off the town anchorage of Harardhere with eight released
crew on board.
Earlier Indian Shipping Minister G K Vasan said the
government is taking all steps to check such incidents and
seek safe release of the captives.
The Indian navy has seized around 120 pirates, mostly
from Somalia, over the past few months. Last month, the Indian
navy captured 61 pirates when they attacked a naval ship.
Indian warships have been escorting merchant ships as
part of international anti-piracy surveillance in the Indian
Ocean area since 2008.
Pirates currently hold some 30 ships and more than 600
hostages.
"All appropriate International and Indian authorities
have been alerted to the situation and all steps to try to
re-establish contact with the pirates to secure the release of
those still being held and now reported to be on-shore (are
being taken)," the company statement said.
"OMCI's office in Mumbai is trying to contact the
families of Indian seafarers of the Asphalt Venture to explain
to them the situation and assure them that everything that can
be done is being done to secure their release," it added.
Indian warships have been escorting merchant vessels
in the Indian ocean as part of an international anti-piracy
efforts and the country's Navy and Coast Guard have seized
over 100 pirates, mostly Somali nationals, in the last couple
of months.
Somali pirates' reneging on the deal for releasing the
vessel with the entire crew is a cause of serious concern for
the Indian security establishment, which views as a
"disturbing trend" their growing activities close to the
country's coast. The move may also lead to a reworking of the
strategy to deal with piracy.
"One disturbing trend we found from the middle of last
year, particularly from the month of October and November,
that some of the piracy incidents were happening closer to our
waters," Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma had said recently
while underscoring the need for heightened efforts to deal
with Somali pirates.
Meanwhile, reacting to the incident the Indian Coast
Guard has said it will not derail their ongoing operation
against the sea brigands.
"Our operation against pirates will not be affected
(by such incidents). Anybody entering Indian waters with an
intention to carry out attacks on ships will be dealt with
strictly as per law," Inspector General of Indian Coast Guard
(West Region) SPS Basra said.
The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have been maintaining
surveillance along the country's western coast as part of
`Operation Island Watch' which has resulted in capture of a
large number of pirates and release of hostages, he said.
"Our men are alert along the coast to avert any sort
of attacks by pirates," Basra added.