Joint initiative underway to rescue Lankan hostages from Somali pirates

Kenyan High Commission has begun talks with Somali pirates who abducted Sri Lankan crew working in the 17,300 tonne freighter- M V Suez, which was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in early August.

In a major breakthrough- Kenyan High Commission along with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington DC have reportedly contacted the pirates and had requested that the condition of Lankan crewmen whom the pirates took as hostages, be informed immediately, Asian Tribune learns.

Until now, although the government had been trying hard to determine as to how many Sri Lankan nationals were taken as hostages through the American company that chartered the vessel and crew, it failed while all attempts to rescue or get in touch with them also proved futile.

Early morning on August 2, the Panama-flagged vessel had dispatched a message stating that it was “captured under small arms fire from a pirate attack". Minutes later she reported "pirates on board", European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia said in an earlier statement. Although a Naval helicopter rushed in, it was too late.

“The MV SUEZ, deadweight 17, 300 tonnes with a crew of 23 (Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India Nationalities), is a Panama flagged merchant vessel with a cargo of cement bags. EU NAVFOR is monitoring the situation,” it added.

“In the early hours of 2 August, the MV SUEZ reported being under small arms fire from a pirate attack and minutes later she reported pirates on board. After notification of the attack, attempts were made to make contact with the MV SUEZ but to no avail. MV SUEZ was travelling in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) when attacked. Immediately after the first report a helicopter was directed to the ship but pirates had already taken over the command of the vessel,” the statement said.

Earlier cargo vessel- ‘MV Talca’ which was hijacked along with its multinational crew including twenty Sri Lankan nationals, by Somali pirates off the Oman coast on March 23, 2010 was released on May 11, 2010 after lengthy negotiations and the payment of a ransom. The Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry revealed that the ship, which is registered in Hamilton, Bermuda and owned by Arabian Reefers Ltd in the British Virgin Islands, had been held for nearly two months in Somali waters.

EU NAVFOR’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Last year, Somali pirates carried out more than 200 hijackings, a record number, according to the Piracy Reporting Center of the International Maritime Bureau. The Gulf of Aden, is known as the most dangerous sea passage for both vessels and crew.

- Asian Tribune -