Three Indians In Hijacked Ship Off Somalia

Three Indians on board a hijacked ship on the Red Sea are reported to be safe, the Directorate General of Shipping said. The hijacked ship, MV Iran Deyanat, has been taken to an undisclosed location off Somalia, DG Shipping said in a statement on Friday. "No demands have been made so far by the hijackers," it said. The three Indians are Jeeva Kiran D'Souza of Kasargod, Akbar Ali Rafeeque Juwale of Ratnagiri and Anthony Clive Themudo of Goa. According to reports reaching here, there is a shortage of fresh water and other commodities on board the vessel.MV Iran DeyanatIran Deyanat, which was carrying 40,000-tonnes of iron ore en-route from China to Netherlands, was hijacked on August 22. Besides the Indians, the ship also had Iranians and Croatians totalling 29 persons in all. DG Shipping has sought the assistance of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in the matter. Pirates with weapons came in speed boats and boarded the Iran Deyanat on the Red Sea, DG Shipping said. It said that a few other vessels have also been hijacked by pirates.