Days after two commercial vessels carrying a total of 22 Indian nationals were hijacked by armed pirates off Yemen and Somalia, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said that all concerned agencies are working day and night, and they are committed to the safety, security, and welfare of Indian seafarers wherever they are working.
Sonowal said the Government has asked the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) to set up a dashboard for providing real-time information about Indian seafarers on each vessel operating in the region, irrespective of the ship’s flag.
“In this sector, as you know, all concerned agencies are working day and night and particularly we are committed to the safety, security, and welfare of our seafarers wherever they are working,” he said.
Sonowal was asked how the Government is dealing with the security threat faced by Indian seafarers operating in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and wider Indian Ocean region, where vessels have to contend with attacks linked to geopolitical tensions in the region.
The minister said he has categorically directed that every Indian seafarer in the affected region must be individually accounted for, irrespective of the vessel’s flag.
The Indian crew members aboard both hijacked vessels are safe, according to the latest information available, a senior shipping ministry official said on August .
Source: dailypioneer.com
