With most of the 17 Indian crew members of the MT Royal Grace who had been held captive by Somalian pirates since March 2, 2012, and 11 Indian seafarers onboard MT Smyrni in captivity since May 10, 2012 set to return to India on Monday, their parents eagerly await the return of their loved ones.
According to official sources: “Some of those rescued from MT Royal Grace are awaiting the arrival of a replacement crew before they can fly back to their families in India.”
While Indian officials refused to share details of the rescue operation, they confirmed that MT Royal Grace reached the Salalah port in Muscat on March 13 and MT Smyrni docked there the next day. Both the ships were received by Indian Embassy officials in Oman.
