Owners visit police station to claim hijacked trawler

Mumbai, Feb 7 (PTI) Owners of the shipping companywhose trawlers were recently hijacked by Somali pirates todayclaimed their vessels while efforts were on to facilitatereturn of the Thai nationals held hostage by the pirates.

Songsang Patavanich, director of PT Interfishery Ltdwhich owns trawlers (Prantalay 14 and Prantalay 11) that werehijacked came to the police station today to claim them,police said.

"The director had come to the police station but wehave not promised anything regarding the return of thetrawler," said Chandrakant Naik, senior inspector at YellowGate police station here.

The Somalian pirates on January 29 had destroyed atrawler ''Prantalay 14'' and took 20 crew members as hostage,including four Thailand nationals and also struck a Greekflagged vessel on Sunday.

Meanwhile, four hostages from Thailand and 16 fromMayanmar who were captured by the pirates on January 29 werebrought to the Yellow gate police station from Cochin.

The Metropolitan Magistrate court remanded 14 piratesarrested earlier in judicial custody till February 14. Laterthey moved a bail application in the court.

"We moved the bail application and the arguments arelikely to be conducted on February 9," said their advocate R NShaili.

Meanwhile the police officials said that the 28hostages and the 24 pirates detained on Sunday will be broughtto Mumbai tomorrow.

"The Coast guard and Navy officials will bring thetrawler (Prantalay 11), hostages and the victims tomorrow,"said Qaiser Khalid, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Port Zone).