Mumbai:
Days after eight sailors of MV Asphalt Venture returned home, still unsure of why their seven colleagues were suddenly taken back into the pirates custody in a last minute change of heart, the pirates have for the first time responded to repeated requests from the owners regarding the seven other crew members of the vessel.
On April 15, all 15 crew members were released after the owners paid an undisclosed amount in ransom. The crew and owners hoped that would secure the crew's release after their ordeal of about six months, but seven were taken into custody once again by the Somali pirates. The pirates move came as a shock not just to the sailors' families but to the international community as well.
In a written response, Capt Ramesh Singh, Master of MV Asphalt Venture, who was among the eight crew members who returned to Mumbai early Sunday morning expressed concern over the pirates' strange turnaround. He also urged the Government of India to work towards the safety and return of his seven colleagues still in captivity. He said, "The Indian Government has taken more action than most other governments against the piracy threat. But, this is a very difficult situation and it is not for us to comment on their position or activities. The fact remains that ship owners and managers can do no more than they are currently doing and it is now for the governments of all nations to maintain the security of the high seas which feeds the economies of the world."
This unprecedented volte-face, experts say, may have larger ramifications in the shipping community given that there are over 25 vessels with crew members of various nationalities who are currently in the custody of Somali pirates.
Now company sources have told NDTV, the pirates do not want to carry on any dialogue with the company and instead want to speak directly with the Government of India. Company sources say the pirates want to talk about their accomplices who are currently in Indian custody after they were arrested following Indian Navy and Coast Guard operations in the Indian Ocean in the last few months.
"This is a matter of real concern for all seafarers. We believe that any trust that was necessary between the pirates and ship owners to effect release, will now be very much at risk and the pirates have destroyed this trust. So, unless the elders of all the gangs insist on the release of the sevenseafarers currently being held immediately, the pirates are not going to regain this trust soon", said Capt Singh.
But New Delhi, it seems, doesn't want to negotiate with the pirates. The decision was taken at an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG), which met on Wednesday for the first time after being set up last month to deal with the problem. The meeting was of the view that the government should not negotiate with the pirates or enter into deals for release of crew on ransom, sources told PTI.
The IMG, headed by additional secretary, Shipping, Vijay Chhibber, and including senior official from Ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs, Defence, Information and Broadcasting besides Navy and Intelligence Bureau, was formed on the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) to deal with the problem of piracy which has been on the rise and to strengthen security measures. (With PTI Inputs)