Stolt Valor with 18 Indians onboard hijacked

As families of the 18 Indians aboard the hijacked vessel MT Stolt Valor wait with fingers crossed, the ship's Mumbai-based manning agent said the ship's master had sent an email on Thursday informing them that "the crew had been confined to the ship's wheelhouse but were being allowed to attend to their daily needs. But, only under the close supervision of the hijackers".

According to the family of the Dehradun-based master, P K Goyal, he had also called his residence on Thursday.

"He told me that they were safe and I should look after the family and stop worrying," said Goyal's wife Seema. Goyal had also called her on Monday and informed about the hijack.

Officials from the ship's manning agent, Ebony Ship Management, said the vessel had arrived at the port of EYL on the east coast of Somalia under instructions from the hijackers.

Of the 18 Indians on board, the passports of 13 sailors were made in Mumbai. "Most of them are believed to be from the state and nearby regions. We believe that three sailors are from the city," said an official.

The vessel's Japanese owners have appointed a professional negotiator to engage into a dialogue with the hijackers. "An average hijack negotiation takes around 30 days and we haven't received information about the exact demands as yet," said Sunil Puri of Fleet Management, the ship's managers.

Officials from Fleet Management also added that the vessel, carrying a cargo of 23,818 tonnes of oil products, had been hijacked from the designated safety corridor despite the master having taken the precaution of keeping the vessel close to the northern limit of the corridor, the farthest from the Somalian coast.

Meanwhile, family members of the crew spent yet another day of uncertainty. Wiper Dipak Kumar Tandel's family, which lives in Valsad in Gujarat, was relieved after they heard about the email. "We were going to find a bride for him when he returned," said Dipak's uncle Pitambar. "I spoke to Dipak a week ago when the ship was in the Suez Canal. After that, we haven't heard his voice," he said.

Mumbai-based Rosary Fernando, whose brother-in-law Panirayan Lobo is on the ship, on Thursday visited the offices of the Directorate General of Shipping and the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) but failed to get any information. "We don't know who to approach and how to go about it. We cannot achieve anything single-handedly," said Fernando.

Even the captain's family is finding themselves in the same position. "He said they were not being tortured," said Seema, Goyal's wife.
Goyal's daughter Ayushi (11) said her father was brave and would see through the ordeal. "He would return home before my examinations start later this month. I am confident that he will come back soon," she said.