By IANS,
Mumbai : An Iranian chartered ship with 25 crew members, including seven Indians, has been released by Somalian pirates, a maritime union official said here Sunday.
“We received confirmation that the terrorists have released the ship and it is now sailing to Iran. All the crew members, including our Indian crew, are reported to be safe,” Abdul G. Serang, general secretary of National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), told IANS.
The Hong Kong-registered ship was carrying a consignment of 38,000 tonnes of wheat when it was hijacked Nov 18 last year off the Gulf of Aden. Apart from seven Indians, the crew included seven Filipinos, seven Iranians, two Ghanians and two Pakistanis.
Serang said that the ship released Saturday was expected to reach Iran by Jan 16 and then the Indian crew members shall prepare to return home.