No clue about hijacked oil tanker with 21 Indian crew members

MUMBAI: Authorities on Sunday indicated they were not aware about the location of the oil tanker, with 21 Indian crew members on board, that has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Oman.

"We can follow the procedure (of freeing the hijacked tanker) only after the ship reaches Somalia," said a senior official in the Shipping Ministry.

Indicating that they are clueless about the location of the tanker, M V Fairchem Bogey, he said they are now waiting for the first call that the pirates would make to the ship owner.

Only after the call is received, the negotiations with the pirates can begin, the official maintained.

The vessel, managed by Mumbai-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (I), was hijacked yesterday while it was at the Salalah anchorage in Oman.

In the past one year, the Gulf of Aden, which is close to the port of Salalah, has witnessed a number of ship hijackings by Somali pirates.