“These crew members continue to be under the custody of Somali pirates and are reportedly held ashore at an unknown location in Somalia,” the Centre said. It said of the two Indian crew members on hijacked merchant vessel ‘Albedo’, one died in the custody of the pirates and the other, Aman Kumar Sharma, was released on June 6 this year.

“The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was key in facilitating the release in coordination with ministry of shipping and MEA and assistance provided by high commission of India, Nairobi,” it said.

To deal with kidnapping of seafarers on hijacked ships by Somali pirates, the Centre said it has set up an Inter-Ministerial Group of officers under the ministry of shipping headed by the additional secretary. “IMG has members representing all concerned ministries and agencies and meets regularly to deal with the situation of Indian hostages who are in captivity of Somali pirates,” it said.

The Centre said the new political dispensation in Somalia was in the process of taking effective control of the geographical extent of the country. It said till that happened, the government there would not be able to effectively deal with piracy issues and release of hostages. “The new regime’s role is expected to increase gradually,” it said.

Source: The Times of India