'Stolt Valor' crew members return home

Mumbai, Nov 24: Two months after their ship 'Stolt Valor' was hijacked by the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, Indian sailors arrived in Mumbai on Monday, Nov 24 after the Japanese owned cargo vessel docked in Muscat on Sunday, Nov 23. The crew members arrived at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Monday, Nov 24 morning.

Santosh Patil, Naved Burandkar, Alistair Fernandez and Ishidore Fernandez returned to Mumbai from Muscat. The ship was released on Nov 16 by the pirates who were reportedly paid a ransom of $2.5 million by the Japanese firm. The crew members along with their Captain Prabhat Kumar Goyal were taken to Muscat in Oman after they were released. They also underwent medical and psychological treatment there. Stolt Valor was piloted and brought back to India by a replacement crew. Rest of the crew members will be returning later on Monday, Nov 24. Alistair Fernandez one of the crew members said, The past two months were horrific. I wouldn't even wish this for my enemies." "The pirates are beasts and not humans," said Santosh Patil.

The hijacked ship also had four foreign sailors on board.