Pirates take hostages ashore

2009-11-05 17:36

Mogadishu - Somali pirates said on Thursday they had taken three hostages from a Spanish fishing vessel ashore and may hand them to the families of two suspected pirates being held by Spain.

The Spanish navy captured two Somalis in the Indian Ocean shortly after pirates overran the tuna boat Alakrana on October 2 and took its 36 crew hostage. The two suspects are set to face trial in Spain on charges of terrorism and robbery.

Somali pirates have said previously they will not negotiate a ransom for the release of the ship until their two colleagues have been freed by the Spanish authorities.

"Our friends have taken three Spanish males from the Spanish ship to land," pirate Hassan told Reuters by phone from the pirate haven of Haradheere.

"They are still in our hands and they have already been taken out of Haradheere by car. I will not tell you where we are taking them, but we may hand them over to the families of our two friends held by Spain -- in revenge," he said.

Pirates go deep into ocean

Pirates have plagued the busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia for years. Foreign warships from 16 nations are patrolling the area to try and prevent hijacks, but the sea gangs are now hunting for ships far into the Indian Ocean.

The pirate gangs - some made up of former fishermen angered by the presence of foreign fishing fleets in Somali waters - have made tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.

Tuna catches in the southwestern Indian Ocean fell by as much as 30% last year as pirates blocked access to some of the world's richest Yellowfin tuna waters off Somalia.

Pirates attacked tuna boats at least three times last year, leading to one ransom payment of more than $1m.

The tuna industry is worth up to $6bn across the Indian Ocean region. In July, France deployed 30 marines aboard its tuna fleet to fend off pirates.
 

- Reuters