New Delhi: Eight Indian boats carrying 120 Indian sailors were hijacked off the Kismayo coast, in what is one of the biggest strikes yet by Somali Pirates.
The Indian boats were sailing from Somalia and were on their way to the UAE. The abducted sailors hail from Saurashtra and Kutch region of Gujarat.
No contact has been established with the hijackers and no ransom demands have been made so far. The boats have been traced near Seychelles waters.
The Indian Navy has sought a report from the Director General of Shipping on hijacking.
It's not the first time Indian sailors have been held hostage by pirates.
On December 23, 2009 an Indian ship MT Agrasen was attacked by armed pirates just off the coast of Maharashtra. The 41 member crew fight off the hijackers and quashed the attempted siege.
On December 15, 2009, pirates seized Laxmi Sagar<.I>, an Indian vessel off the Somalian coast and took 10 members on board hostage.
In October the same year Indian sailors were held hostage when a Panama flagged ship Al Khaliq was hijacked. They were later released after a ransom of $3.1 million was reportedly paid.
Perhaps the most dramatic hijack was in September 2008 when MT Stolt Valor a merchant ship was seized in the Gulf of Aden. The 18 Indian sailors on aboard were released after 60 days following intense government pressure.
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