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ILLUSTRATION / SAMEER PAWAR | Jagdish Ayachi, the owner of a Kandla-based shipping company, Dhamji Dhiru and Co, launched an incredible offensive yesterday and rescued one of his ships hijacked by Somalian pirates. This is the first time a ship owner acted on his own hiring Somalian gunmen and attacking the hijacked ship. An exclusive interview with J Dey...
What happened today?
Ayachi: I'm the owner of Shiv Shambho, the hijacked dhow and after two days of inaction, I decided it was time to take action. I directed my men aboard the Shiv Shakti, which was sailing near the African coast, to mount an attack. At noon, with 15 Somalian armed guards, we headed towards the hijacked dhow. Once alongside the vessel, the guards boarded Shambho and opened fire on the pirates. Three of the five pirates died, while two jumped overboard. Captain Abdulla of Shiv Shambho spoke to me after the incident and said they were fine and the cargo safe.
Tell us about the hijacked vessel.
Shiv Shambho has cargo of 500 tonnes of sugar worth approximately Rs 10 crore and was heading for the port of Bossaso in Yemen. Captain Abdulla was patient with the pirates, as he did not want casualties and the owner of the cargo wanted his consignment. It was he who hired the Somalian guards.
Will you sail your ships in these waters again?
Of course. We will continue to carry cargo to African ports.
What if this happens again?
We are planning to hire local militia to guard our ships passing through Somalian waters. The Indian, US and French warships manning the waters are of little help. Instead, of chasing the pirates, these warships check our vessels for contraband. So, we have no option, but to handle our own security.
When do you expect Shiv Shambho and Shiv Shakti to return to Kandla?
It takes 14 days from Mombassa. The vessels should be back by mid-November. | 
