After 10 months of captivity by Somali pirates, six Indian sailors of Egypt-owned cargo ship MV Suez reached New Delhi on Friday.
"It was a nightmare," said Hari C Nair, one of the 17 Indian sailors released by Somalian pirates after spending 11 months in captivity, recalled on Wednesday.
India's Nethra Kumanan had a tough day in office in the women's Dighy sailing event's opening series at the Paris Olympics as she slipped to 24th spot after Race 6 in Marseille on Saturday.
'The precision strikes were well planned and excellently executed. The world will be studying this operation.'
Days after a renowned cyclist accused her coach of sexual harassment, a national level female sailor has alleged that a coach made her "uncomfortable" during a foreign exposure trip to Germany.
Aman Kumar Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, an Indian national, was among the 11 crew members of a ship freed after being held hostage for nearly four years by Somali pirates, with a top United Nations official calling for the release of all remaining captives.
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.
Nethra had left the sport of sailing for one year after failing to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
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.
INS Surat is the Indian Navy's first AI enabled warship.
India on Tuesday said it is in touch with Togo authorities to secure on compassionate ground the release of a jailed Indian sailor even as his family met the prime minister requesting his intervention to ensure the seaman is able to conduct the last rites of his 11-month-old son.
On December 17, heavily-armed pirates stormed a German oil tanker SP Brussels belonging to the Medallion Marine company. They went on to loot the ship and took hostage five Indian sailors.
'Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and I were inseparable while we struggled together.' 'When a disillusioned Dharmendra was packing his bags to return home, I prevailed upon him to give himself two months.' 'Five days later, he was signed for Shola Aur Shabnam and I signed Picnic.'
A diplomat from the Pakistan High Commission on Friday visited a police station in South Mumbai where five sailors from Pakistan are staying since March. They were rescued by the Indian Navy in the high sea.
According to rescue officer Phil Gaden in Australia, Tomy had a severely injured back.
Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics after making sure of a top-place finish in the laser radial event of the Asian Qualifiers, in Oman, on Wednesday.
INS Shivaji is an Indian Naval station located in the hill-town of Lonavala in Maharashtra's Pune district.
Ferrari will race with the flag of the Italian navy on their cars at this weekend's Indian Formula One Grand Prix in a gesture of support for two Italian sailors charged with killing Indian fishermen.
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.
It is the first such case of a sizeable number of military personnel being treated for COVID-19. The Indian Army has reported eight cases of the deadly virus so far.
An Indian ship sank off the coast of southern Oman, drowning five Indian sailors and leaving nine others missing.
The Directorate General of Shipping on Saturday said that contact with the hijacked vessel, MV Delight, had been established and the Indian crew on board was 'safe and in good health'.Iranian ship MV Delight with seven Indian sailors on board was hijacked by Somali pirates on November 18. Delight, which bears a Hong Kong flag, was carrying 38,000 tonnes of wheat and had 18 crew members, apart from the Indian crew, on board when it was hijacked near the Gulf of Eden.
Ending a six-month ordeal, the crew of nine Indian and 12 Iranian sailors of cargo ship MV Sinin was freed on Saturday by Somali pirates. "Nine Indian sailors along with 12 Iranians of M V Sinin have been released by the pirates today. All of them are safe," said Director General of Shipping S B Agnihotri. The Somali pirates had on February 12 seized the Malta-flagged, 52,000 tonne bulk carrier 315 nautical miles off Masirah (Oman) while it was on its way to Singapore.
Lieutenant Commanders Dilna K and Roopa A will remain at sea for 8 months. They will rely on wind power, do the repairs on the boat themselves and navigate some the world's most treacherous waters.
'We not only have to secure our national interests but also prepare for new national security challenges like cyber warfare and terrorism.'
Almost five years later, the three services have still not fully understood that joint/theatre commands are not a discussion point; they are the prime minister's diktat on a military reform measure that is in line with what armed forces around the world have implemented, points out Ajai Shukla.
'When I crossed that point where I had the accident, I felt light and that was a very physical experience. I felt something leave me.' Shyam G Menon chronicles the voyages of that incredible Indian sailor, Abhilash Tomy.
The government on Thursday said it was making all possible effort to seek the early release of 64 Indians held hostage by Somali pirates, including six on board an Egyptian cargo ship hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, in August last year. "I share the anxiety and concerns of the family members and we are making all efforts to ensure the safety of Indians and also to expedite their release," Shipping Minister G K Vasan said.
Ahead of its expected delivery by yearend, Indian Navy's Russian built aircraft carrier Vikramaditya on Friday commenced sea trials in the White Sea.
Qatar has released eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel and seven of them returned home early Monday, 46 days after their death sentences handed last October were commuted to jail terms of varying duration.
A Nigerian militant group on Monday demanded the release of its leader, in return for setting free an Indian sailor, along with five foreign crew members of a chemical tanker. Nigerian militant group Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta sought the release of its leader Henry Okah for medical treatment abroad.
In the third such attack in over two weeks in the Gulf of Guinea, the Singapore-owned vessel, MT Abu Dhabi Star, was taken over by pirates on Tuesday night when it was sailing towards the open sea.
The last seven Indian sailors held hostage by Somali pirates were released October 30. Chirag Bahri, Indian coordinator for the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme that aids piracy survivors and their families, speaks to Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com on how the near-impossible was achieved.
The government of Egypt and Dubai has complained to India about the excessive media coverage given to relatives of the kidnapped Indian sailors by Somali pirates. According to them, the hype by the Indian media is not helping negotiators who are trying to strike a deal with pirates for the early release of the sailors.
The M T Stolt Valor, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden in September, has been released, according to the National Union of Seafarers of India. There were 18 Indian soldiers on board the hijacked ship. Initial reports said that ransom was paid to the pirates by the Japanese owners Stolt Tankers. Reports said that all crew members on board are safe. The ship has left for Mumbai and will reach in three to four days.
Three sailors were injured, including one who sustained serious injuries and his right leg has been amputated from just above the knee.
Armed Somali men, helping out coast-guards in the African waters, have managed to free an Indian cargo ship with 13 sailors on board, after it was hijacked by pirates off the northern coast of Somalia.
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