Mumbai: At least twenty-six crew members, including 11 Indians, have been held captive by suspected Somali pirates after the hijacking of a Liberian-flagged crude tanker off the Omani coast, the Directorate General Shipping said on Saturday.
According to reports the pirates boarded MT Smyrni while it was sailing in the Arabian Sea on Thursday afternoon, a DGS statement issued late this evening said.
The DGS has asked the ship’s manager and recruiting agent in Mumbai – Dynacom Tankers Management – to obtain information on the condition of the Indian crew.
The vessel, loaded with 135,000 tonnes of crude and owned by a Greek company, is headed towards the Somalian coast, it said. The abducted Indians include the master of the vessel, which also had 14 Filipinos and a Romanian.
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