21 sailors wait to be rescued from Somali pirates

21 sailors wait to be rescued from Somali pirates

Mangalore Today News Network

Kasaragod, Nov 26, 2011 : Mohammed Nangi of Mogral, one of the 21 sailors who were captured by pirates, has informed his family that the pirates are threatening to kill him.

On Aug 20, 2011, Fairchem Bogey, a vessel transporting chemical oil with a crew of 21 sailors, was hijacked by Somali pirates off Salalah Port, Oman. The vessel is under the management of the Anglo Eastern Ship based in Mumbai.

Mohammed said that pirates used to give them small quantities of food for a few days after capturing them, but have stopped feeding them for the past several weeks, owing to which they are forced to live on sea water alone. He also said that the pirates have been assaulting the top-level employees for the past few days and have the threatening to kill the others.

The ship’s crew has been urging their family members to contact the company and rescue them at the earliest. The family members of the crew had visited Mumbai and had organized a protest in front of the company office.

Zohara, the wife of Mohammed Nangi, said that they had been driven away by the company officials and a few policemen and that the company now has police protection. She said that the families now plan to approach the union ministers in New Delhi.

The families are furious that the company has done nothing to rescue the ship and its crew although they have been held by pirates for the past 3 months. Meanwhile, Mohammed Nangi’s family plans to meet the chief minister of Karnataka during a mass contact program, scheduled to be held on Dec 2.