The family of Sriunni, 25, from Uduma here, who was among the 22 Indian crew members of an oil tanker hijacked by a pirate group off the Benin coast in Africa on February 1, is elated following the safe release of the vessel.
Mr. Sriunni, one of the two Keralites who formed part of the crew of the merchant ship Marine Express , rang up his father, Ashokan, and mother, E. Geetha, on Tuesday morning to convey the news of his release.
The youth informed his family that the pirates had not ill-treated or misbehaved with the crew members at any point of time.
“Our prayers finally yielded results and Sriunni will be back home in 10 days as the ship is sailing towards a European destination to offload the bulk petroleum products,” Mr. Ashokan told The Hindu here.
“We express our gratitude to the Union government for facilitating the early release of the hijacked ship,” said a jubilant E. Reetha, Sriunni’s maternal aunt in her brief conversation that was interrupted by a flurry of telephone calls from friends and relatives enquiring about the safety of the youth. Ms. Reetha said Mr. Sriunni, who had joined the ship services four years ago, resumed duty barely a month ago.
