ALAPPUZHA: Indians on board the UAE-flagged ship, which was hijacked by the Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen, are safe, said one of crew members who contacted his relatives on Saturday over phone from Sana’a in Yemen. Munawar Sameer Shaikh, a deck cadet from Kalyan, near Mumbai, contacted his sister Aleeza and said he and other crew members were not tortured by the hijackers.
She told TNIE that Munawar did not reveal the exact location of the ship or other details. “He told us that hijackers did not torture them. He also asked us to inform the relatives of Kerala and Haryana natives who are also on board the hijacked ships,” Aleeza told TNIE from Kalyan. “They want the Indian Embassy in Sana’a to intervene and free them,” she said.
Kayamkulam native Akhil Reghu and another Malayali are also on board the ship. The identity of second Keralite, who works in the kitchen, is not yet known. Sixteen crew members, including four Indians, are on board the ship Rawabee, owned by UAE-based Liwa Marine. The ship was hijacked near the port city of Hodeidah, 50km off Yemen coast.
The ship was carrying a field hospital from Yemen’s Socotra Island to Jazan in the south of the Saudi Arabia. The cargo includes ambulances, medical communication equipment, tents, field kitchens, and laundry as well as technical and security support equipment.The hijackers had released shot videos of the ship and alleged it was carrying military supplies to the Saudi-led collation fighting against the Houthis in Yemen.