A high-level meeting chaired jointly by Minister of Shipping, GK Vasan and External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid supported by Secretary (Shipping) Pradeep Kumar Sinha and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and other senior officials, held on Monday reviewed the progress made in securing the release of Indian seafarers held hostage by Somali pirates. The meeting decided to work in coordination to secure the early release of Indian seafarers held in captivity by Somali pirates.

During the course of the week, the family members of the Indian seafarers have been met by Minister of Shipping as well as External Affairs Minister and the senior officials of both the Ministries.

The urgency to find ways to secure the release of Indian seafarers was underscored during the meeting. The meeting also touched on issues relating to piracy in general and also recent efforts made by India in international fora particularly in the United Nations Security Council to forge global consensus on addressing the challenges posed by Somali pirates.