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MV Med Star headed for Bombay

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay

The hijacked MV Med Star, which has been taken control of by a group of stowaways, is 360 nautical miles from the city's shores. It is expected to reach Bombay on the morning of June 14.

Coast Guard (Bombay) Deputy Commandant Manoj V Badkar, however, denied reports that the ship had been hijacked or pirates had taken control of it. He told rediff.com: "The ship's captain is in full command and has not requested the Coast Guard to take control of the ship."

"So far the vessel has not transgressed or violated any Indian maritime law. The captain has not sought immediate assistance," he added. "The insurers of the ship have requested the Coast Guard to escort the vessel to Bombay."

Badkar confirmed that the stowaways had no arms or ammunition. "The word 'stowaways' means people who travel from one country to another hiding in a ship; they are no threat to the ship. There is a big difference between stowaways, pirates and hijackers," he explained.

There are 21 people on board - 16 Filipinos, four Croats and the captain, an Italian.

Reports say that there are 10 Iranian and four Iraqi stowaways on board the 14,000-tonne ship. The ship left the Iranian port of Bandar-e-Abbas on Thursday, en route to Kandla, where it was supposed to pick up 2000 tonnes of granite on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, D M Gohi, officer in-charge of Porbandar port, had told rediff.com over telephone that the stowaways had sought asylum in a "European country."

Badkar explained that India had the option of refusing the ship entry into its territorial waters. "According to the Brazil Convention of 1957, if a country is not willing to grant asylum to stowaways, the ship's owners must ensure that they are taken back to their motherland, or the country from which they are seeking asylum. India is a signatory to that agreement."

EARLIER STORY
Coast Guard may have control of pirated ship

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