Pirates demand ransom for ship
2008-09-09 10:00
Alastair Sharp
Cairo - Somali pirates who hijacked an Egyptian ship last week have demanded a ransom payment for the vessel and its 25 crew members, and Egypt is optimistic the crisis will end soon, Egypt's state news agency said on Monday.
Somali gunmen hijacked the boat as it plied the increasingly dangerous Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen. The ship is the latest to be taken in a string of such hijackings.
"The hijackers asked for a monetary amount to free the ship," state news agency MENA quoted Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ahmed Rizq as saying.
"There are continuous and heavy contacts to settle this problem in the shortest time possible," he added. He did not say how much money the pirates had asked for.
Somali gunmen are holding more than 10 ships for ransom at Eyl, a lawless former fishing outpost now used by gangs behind a sharp rise in sea attacks.
Hijackings have become commonplace, especially in the semi-autonomous Puntland region. Pirates often treat hostages well in the expectation of a ransom. Most captured ships bring ransoms of more than $10 000.
The owner of the seized Egyptian vessel was in continuous contact with the crew and said they were in a good condition, MENA reported.
It added that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit had asked the Egyptian ambassador to Somalia, on leave in Cairo, to return immediately to his post to take part in "efforts to end the crisis".
Two French nationals were also seized in a yacht last week, while a $2m ransom has been agreed for the release of an Iranian ship carrying 28 crew members.
Somali regional officials say hefty ransoms paid out by ship owners are fuelling an explosion of piracy, while some countries are using force to recover stolen ships and captive sailors.
On Sunday, an unidentified warship captured 14 pirates and destroyed their boat off the Somali coast.
A representative of the Puntland region said the warship may have been American, but the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said there was no American involvement.
- Reuters