Mumbai:
Terming the alleged hijacking of MV Cotton, which has an all-Indian crew of 24, as "unusual", the ship operator today said no contact has been established with the vessel after the pirates came on board three days ago.
"It is unusual for attacks to occur in this region and, in fact, there have been no reported attacks in the past five years," a statement from the ship operator Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS (Geden Line) said.
A senior official at V-Ships, a Turkish company which is the crew manager for the vessel, added that no contact has been established with the ship since the hijacking.
"Contact with the ship has not been established...there are 24 Indian sailors on board," an official at city-headquartered Directorate General of Shipping told PTI.
The 184-metre long MV Cotton with a gross tonnage of 23,248 tonnes was hijacked by suspected pirates while awaiting berthing at Gabon's Gentil Port at 0453 hrs GMT on July 15.
"Geden Line believes the vessel was boarded by pirates at 04:53 UTC (coordinated universal time) on July 15, off the coast at Port Gentil in Gabon, where the vessel was due to load cargo," the statement from the ship operator added.
It said that the company is in contact with the families of the crew members and appropriate authorities including the Turkish foreign ministry and the navy, as also the flag state (Malta) have been contacted.
"The company's priority is the safety of its seafarers and all possible steps to secure their safe return are being taken," the statement added.
Hijacking incidents are mainly reported from the Gulf of Aden on the east coast of Africa.