Royal Grace Update: Negotiations Held in Freeing 22 Hostages off Hijacked Ship

Negotiations with Somali pirates are currently ongoing in an effort to rescue a tanker and a 22-man crew hostage.

The ship’s owners in Dubai recently received demands from the pirates and were working out negotiations with them, according to an Indian representative who was responsible for recruiting five of the sailors onboard.

The MV Royal Grace, a chemical tanker, was seized off Oman on March 2 of this year. According to BBC, the crew's families were only told weeks later and have been given no information on the mariners' condition. The East India Shipping Agency who also recruited the men stated that the relatives were not told immediately about the ship hijacking because the owners did not want the Indian government to file a case against them.

Little details were given. An Agency official is heading to Dubai to meet the vessel’s owners and obtain further information on the condition of the crewmembers. It is unclear whether the company is dealing directly with the pirate group or through another agency. The men’s safety and future release is the main concern.

There were 17 Indians, 3 Nigerians, a Pakistani and a Bangladeshi onboard the Royal Grace during the seizure. Somali pirates are believed to be holding more than 20 vessels and nearly 300 crew. As the pirates have expanded their operations, they are using bigger ships and better equipment funded by the large ransoms paid for the release of hostages, reports BBC News.