Shipping Ministry hails release of two India sailors from Togo

Chennai;

Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan has hailed the release of Indian merchant ship captain Sunil James and sailor Andi Vijayan, who were under arrest in the West African country of Togo since July 31.

The release followed the intervention of the Prime Minister and follow-up by the External Affairs Ministry. The minister also had been intensely monitoring the progress of the release of these two sailors and the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has been closely coordinating with the family of Capt James and the embassy of India in Accra, Ghana, a Union Shipping Ministry release said.

The shipping ministry said that the sailors were released at 2am on Thursday and are expected to reach India on Friday morning. As a gesture from Union government, officials from the Directorate General of Shipping have been deputed to receive Capt. James at Mumbai and Vijayan at Kochi.

James was arrested on July 31 when he stopped at Togo to report an attack on his ship MT Ocean Centurion by pirates.