... but to the topic at hand. Once again, if a large percentage of the merchant marineers being held by pirates were American or Western European - things would be much different WRT piracy than they are now. Full stop.
Having faced numerous pirate attacks in the recent past, seafarers from India and other Asian countries have warned that they would not sail to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia, unless the threat of piracy is contained soon.
The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has taken the lead in this regard and has interacted with its counterparts in Malaysia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and other Asian countries in the interest of sailing crew.
"Discussions with the unions (of other countries) are already on. If the situation does not improve, then seafarers from labour-supplying countries will not sail to these pirate-infested places," NUSI's General Secretary-cum-Treasurer, Abdulgani Y Serang, told PTI in Mumbai.
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There are still 11 vessels with more than 200 crew-members of different nationalities held by pirates in the region, he added.
