Negotiations for the safe release of crew and cargo of the vessel, MT Biscaglia, with 31 crew including 25 Indians on board, has begun a week after it was hijacked in Gulf of Aden on November 28.
Apart from 25 Indians, the ship had three Bangladeshis, two British and one Irish security guard as crew.
The manager of the Liberian registered cargo ship, Ishima -- a Singapore-based ship management company, has appointed a professional negotiator to talk with Somalia hijackers, Abdulgani Y Serang, General Secretary, National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) said.
The ship has been anchored in Eyl, a town in Somalia, he said.
The vessel's last port of call was Dumai in Indonesia. The ship was on its way to Europe via Suez Canal.
An Indian naval vessel in Gulf of Aden was refuelling as scheduled at the time of hijacking of this cargo vessel.
At least 80 ships have been hijacked this year in Gulf of Aden and the Indian navy has deployed a warship to provide escort to Indian ships passing through the Gulf.
India has planned to send up to four naval ships in the area including a destroyer to provide escort to Indian ships. This is the third ship with Indian crew that has been hijacked in Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates in recent weeks.Two other ships, Delight and Stolt Valor, had seven and 18 Indian crew aboard. The crew of Stolt Valor has been released and they have returned to India last month after two months in captivity.
