D. Satish, sailor from the city who was among the 22 Indians on board a merchant ship that was reportedly hijacked by pirates near West African coast on February 1, was apparently released by the pirates after the ransom amount was paid on Tuesday.
Hong Kong-based ship management company, Anglo-Eastern, had appointed 22 Indian sailors on the ship carrying gasoline.
However, on February 2, the company tweeted “We regret that contact has been lost with the AE-managed MT Marine Express while at Cotonou, Benin. The last contact was on Feb 1. Authorities have been alerted and are responding. Our top priority is the safety of the crew, whose families have been contacted.’’
According to sources, the External Affairs Ministry had communicated the family and informed the release of the ship on Tuesday.
Officers from the special branch said External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj was personally in touch with the Nigerian and Benin naval authorities to trace the missing ship and secure its release.
All are safe
It is learnt that even the shipping company officials had communicated with the family members that the hijacked ship was released and back under the command of the captain and the crew and all members were safe.
