BHUBANESWAR: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that there is no report of violence or physical harm to the crew members of Liberian chemical tanker mv Biscaglia which was hijacked by the Somalian pirates.
While 25 crew members were Indian, three were Bangladeshis. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to Mukherjee requesting immediate steps for the release of the crew from the pirates. One of the crew members Himanshu Kar is from Orissa.
Responding to Naveen’s letter, Mukherjee said that he had inquired about the matter from High Commissioner, Nairobi, and Consulate General, New York. The ship, owned by Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corporation of Stamford and managed by Ishima Private Limited, Singapore, was hijacked on November 28.
The owner of the tanker has informed the Consulate General, New York, that the company officials had spoken to the captain of the ship on December 29. The captain informed that the crew members were doing fine and there is no report of violence or physical harm to them.The External Affairs Minister said that negotiations with the pirates are proceeding satisfactorily. The agency engaged in negotiations has indicated that the incident is more of a commercial transaction by the criminals. The company expects that the matter would be resolved in the next three weeks, he added.
