The Centre on Friday said that the Indian Navy had 'coordinated' with other navies operating in the piracy-affected region to provide security cover to MV Suez, the Egyptian merchant vessel with six Indian nationals, which was released by Somali pirates four days ago. "The Navy coordinated with other navies in the region so that security cover could be provided to MV Suez, the ship which was released by pirates recently.
Six Indian sailors, who were part of the 22-member crew of MV Suez vessel that was recently freed by Somali pirates, on Thursday reached Karachi harbour and would be sent back to India soon.
The MV Suez's 22-member crew, including six Indians, were on Sunday transferred to a Pakistani warship when the Egyptian merchant vessel, which was recently released by Somali pirates after payment of ransom, began taking on water in the Arabian Sea.
The Navy on Thursday pulled out its warship from escorting MV Suez, released by pirates, towards Salalah port in Oman after the Egyptian vessel, under the command of a Pakistani national, did not respond to its calls.
The 22 crew members, including six Indians, of Egyptian merchant vessel MV Suez will reach Karachi before being sent back to their respective countries, Pakistani human rights activist Ansar Burney has said. Burney, who has played a pivotal role in securing the release of the crew, hoped the return of the Indian sailors would be a "gift" to India. Besides the six Indians, there are five Pakistanis and one Sri Lankan among the crew.
After 10 months of captivity by Somali pirates, six Indian sailors of Egypt-owned cargo ship MV Suez reached New Delhi on Friday.
The crew of an Egyptian freighter including six Indians, released by Somali pirates on Monday, came under renewed attack by the sea brigands on Wednesday as they sailed in the pirate-infested Somali waters on way to a port in Oman. However, there was no report of any casualty. While the 22-member crew of MV Suez faced the threat of being retaken, the Directorate General of Shipping said the Indian Navy is coordinating with other navies for the safe passage of the ship.
The arrival of Egyptian cargo vessel M V Suez, which was released by Somali pirates after ten months of captivity, has been delayed at the Omanese port of Salalah due to insufficient fuel, the directorate general of shipping said on Saturday.
The six Indians who are part of the 22-member crew of the MV Suez that was recently freed by Somali pirates are expected to reach Mumbai on Friday on a flight via Dubai, a representative of the vessel's owners said on Thursday.
The Indian Navy on Saturday dismissed Pakistan's allegation that an Indian warship had brushed PNS Babar escorting MV Suez, a merchant vessel released by Somali pirates, saying the "reports of aggression" are "incorrect and based on misinformation".
Pakistan on Friday lodged a protest with the Indian government over an incident in which an Indian warship allegedly brushed with a Pakistani frigate escorting MV Suez, an Egyptian-owned ship that was recently freed by Somali pirates after the payment of ransom.
Ahead of their talks, India and Pakistan are locked in a nasty spat and have lodged protests against each other over their naval warships allegedly resorting to 'risky' and 'dangerous' manoeuvres after hijacked MV Suez was freed by Somali pirates.
Hours after coming from the 10-month long hijack ordeal, 22-year-old Sachin Pawshe, a sailor with MV Suez, and a resident of Kalyan in Mumbai, considers himself reborn.
Days after the brush off incident between their warships in the Gulf of Aden, Indian Navy on Friday said Pakistani ship PNS Babur had damaged a part of INS Godavari by moving too close to it.
Even as the rescued Indian sailors of the MV Suez are homebound via Karachi, five Pakistani Balochi fishermen rescued by the Indian Navy are still awaiting their return home, reports Toral Varia.
'If the almost literally heart-stopping Suez block has any positive outcome, it is to be hoped that it will accelerate the setting up of a fab (perhaps Taiwanese) in India,' asserts Rajeev Srinivasan.
'If attacks escalate, there is a risk the Suez Canal may be closed.'
'Given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia' Subhayan Chakraborty and Dhruvaksh Saha report.
'The Ever Given, which had 200,000 tonnes of cargo, was too long for the Suez Canal.'
The Indian Navy, which regards itself as the 'net security provider' in the Indian Ocean Region, has also stepped up to the plate, with a warship stationed at all times off the Gulf of Aden for counter-piracy tasks. 91 Indian warships have been deployed in the region since 2008, patrolling high risk areas where piracy was rampant.
The world needs to wake up to this new dimension of war at sea and be prepared to face the 'unknown enemy' who have the advantage of attacking at their choice of location and time, cautions Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
