It was a big homecoming for crew members of the Japanese-owned chemical tanker MV Stolt Valor on Monday.
Five members of the ship have arrived so far, and the rest of the Indian crew including the captain of the ship, Prabhat Goyal will arrive later on Monday.
"I am happy to be back," said Ishidore Fernandes, Stolt Valor crew member.
MV Stolt Valor, with 22 crew members including 18 Indians, was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates off the Yemen coast on September 16, while it was bound for Mumbai from the Suez Canal.
The crew members had a harrowing time, with no hope of a release for quite some time after they were held hostage. The ship was released on November 16 after the crew were kept hostage for two months by the pirates.
"We were always on gun point, 24 hours. We had to take permission from them for everything," said a Stolt Valor crew member.
Not surprisingly, the families of the crew who have returned were ecstatic.
"We are very happy, you can understand that. I want to thank the Almighty and the Government of India," said Murad Mohd Borundkar, father of crew member Naved.
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