The pirates were unable to take the 19 crew members hostage because they locked themselves in a safe room, said Abdirahman. Indian navy ships responded to a distress call and rapidly closed on the 178-metre long bulk carrier by early Sunday. Somali pirates in recent weeks have hijacked at least two vessels with foreign crews in the waters off Somalia and Yemen. In March, Somali pirates hijacked a Comoros-flagged oil tanker, marking the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel since 2012. Earlier this month, Somali pirates seized a small boat and its 11 Indian crew members as the vessel passed through the narrow channel between Socotra Island and Somalia’s coast.

Source: National Post April 10, 2017 14:15 UTC