Pirates want $8m ransom

2008-09-02 17:01

Daniel Wallis

Nairobi - Somali pirates are demanding a ransom of $8.2m to free two Malaysian tankers and a Japanese-managed bulk carrier that they hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, a maritime official said on Tuesday.

Gunmen from Somalia have seized at least 30 vessels so far this year, making the waters off the Horn of Africa nation the most dangerous in the world. On Tuesday, the Malaysian vessels' owner ordered the rest of its fleet not to enter the area.

Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said the pirates wanted $4.7m to release the Bunga Melati 5 and its sister ship, the Bunga Melati Dua, which are both owned by Malaysian national carrier Misc.

He told Reuters the gangs were also demanding $3.5m to free the MV Stella Maris, which was hijacked on July 20.

Somali officials say gunmen are believed to be holding at least six vessels for ransom near Eyl. In total, the pirates are thought to be holding about 130 crew members hostage.

The Bunga Melati 5 was carrying 30 000 tonnes of petrochemicals to Singapore from Saudi Arabia when it was seized on Friday. It had 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew on board.

Fear for sailors

Misc said it had been travelling "within the vicinity" of a Gulf of Aden security corridor that was set up last week, but that multinational forces had been unable to stop the hijacking.

The Bunga Melati Dua was laden with 32 000 tonnes of crude palm oil and was carrying 29 Malaysian and 10 Filipino sailors to Rotterdam from Indonesia when it was seized on August 19.

"Misc has with immediate effect put a halt on all its vessels ... entering the Gulf of Aden until additional security measures by Misc are in place to enhance the safety of its vessels and crew," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Misc, part of Malaysia's state energy firm Petronas, has more than 100 ships. The company said negotiations were ongoing for the safe release of the crews of both hijacked vessels.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said navy vessels were sent to protect four other MISC ships in the area.

"Our priority is the safety of our sailors," Razak said. "We will do everything in accordance with international law."

Somali pirates also want $1m for a Nigerian tug boat, the MT Yenegoa Ocean, which was seized earlier this month.

Lawlessness onshore is spreading fast as Somalia collapses into the worst fighting for nearly two decades. The chaos is fuelling a wave of piracy that increasingly threatens vessels in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's most important waterways.

Nearly 20 000 ships pass through the strategic channel each year, and the attacks are choking aid shipments to the country, worsening a crisis that aid workers say is the worst in Africa.

- Reuters