By NNN-PTI,
Mumbai, India : The Indian crew of vessel, MT Biscaglia, on Friday returned home after a ransom was paid to the Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel.
“Ransom was paid for the release of the crew,” CEO of US-based company ISEC, James Christodoulou told reporters here. ISEC owns the vessel Biscaglia.
There are 11 more ships and 200 sailors hijacked by Somali pirates, he said.
Explaining the modus operandi of the ransom being paid to pirates, Christodoulou said that cash was withdrawn from Europe and then taken to Gulf.
Finally, it was dropped through a parachute near Biscaglia, he said.
The vessel was anchored at eastern cost of Somalia.
MT Biscaglia was hijacked by Somali pirates while the ship was passing through Gulf of Aden–notorious for pirate attacks–on November 28.
The ship had 31 crew–25 Indians, 3 Bangladeshis, two British and one Irish. It was carrying palm oil from Indonesia to Spain.