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| Africa Horn | |
| Ship held by pirates sinks off Somalia | |
| 2013-07-16 | |
| Attacks by Somali pirates have fallen to just eight in six months, but four ships with 57 sailors aboard are still being held captive — with their whereabouts unknown. One of the captured ships, the MV Albedo, sank last week, and there is no trace of its sailors, who have been held hostage for more than two years. The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said seven of its nationals on board the ship are safe. The status of the other men, who include Indians, Sri Lankans and at least one Iranian, is not known. Seven Pakistani sailors on the ship, including its skipper, were rescued last year after an unspecified ransom was paid by Pakistan authorities. Some sources put the figure at $2 million against a total $10.5 million sought by the pirates. One hostage was killed by the Somalis at the start of their ordeal. Speaking to Khaleej Times, an EU Naval Force for Somalia (EUNAVFOR) official said a warship and maritime patrol aircraft continued to monitor the situation near Somalia. During an aerial search, maritime patrol aircraft spotted two life boats on a Somali beach some 14 miles north of the position of the Albedo. “No members of the MV Albedo crew or pirates were sighted in or near the lifeboats,” EUNAVFOR said in a statement. Spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Jacqueline Sherriff said they were not sure of the number of seamen on board. “We are monitoring the situation closely and our warships and aircraft are in the area. They may have been moved to a location on shore in Somalia as our sightings suggest,” she said. However, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said their nationals may have been moved to fishing vessels by the pirates. The Bangladesh government said in a release that it had received ‘primary confirmation’ of their mariners’ safety through the Maritime Piracy and Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) based in London. “The issue being extremely sensitive and having a humanitarian aspect, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is keeping close contacts, and liaising with all concerned for the speedy release and safe return of Bangladeshi crews to the country,” the Bangladesh foreign ministry said in the release. MV Albedo is a Malaysian-flagged vessel and Bangladeshi officials are in touch with their counterparts in Kuala Lumpur.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 The NEXT time we need to Kill them ALL, whether or not the sailors are saved, that's the only way to stop this. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2013-07-16 01:07 |