Stowaways hijack ship

Indian ports have stepped up security

A group of 14 Iranian and Iraqi stowaways have hijacked an Italian merchant vessel bound for India and are demanding political asylum.

Indian officials say the group, who secretly boarded the MV Med Star when it sailed from the Iranian port of Bander-e-Abbas earlier last week, have asked to be taken to a European city.

Maritime authorities and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees are now conducting negotiations with the hijackers, according to A K Jyoti, head of the Indian port of Kandla where the 15,000-tonne vessel is heading.

The vessel, which has a crew of 20, is now slowly sailing east approximately 500 miles from the Indian coast.

An Indian Coast Guard official said the hijackers cpomprised 10 Iranians and four Iraqi nationals.

"Negotiations are in progress to make necessary arrangements to transport the stowaways to some European city to be handed over to UNHCR," said Kandla Port official Praveen Chandra Chaturved.

An earlier threat to blow up the ship was, said Mr Chaturved, a ploy to prevent the ship returning to Iran.

According to a message received from the hijackers on Sunday, there was no bomb on the ship, he added.

He said the situation had eased after the hijackers held long talks with the ship's German insurers, Protection and Indemnity Club.

Precautions

The MV Med Star was originally due to arrive at Kandla port on Sunday evening to load 2,000 tonnes of granite cargo, according to owners Pearl Shipping.

India had earlier stepped up security around Kandla to prevent the hijacked ship from entering its waters.

"Two Coast Guard ships are right now positioned at the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch and all ports on the western coast have been alerted to prevent the ship from entering Indian territory," said a Coast Guard official.

A team of 75 Indian commandos and four bomb disposal squads had moved to Kandla in case of emergency, the official said.