Sunday, November 16, 2008
Andrew Mwangura of the East Africa Seafarers Association said the vessel with all the crew members were freed on Saturday and are on their way to Mumbai.
The Japanese vessel was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Sept. 15 this year and the pirates had been demanding ransom before they could release the vessel.
"The MT Stolt was released on Saturday and it's not known whether any ransom was paid," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone. The hijackers had initially demanded a ransom of 6 million U.S. dollars which they later reduced to 2.5 million dollars for the release of the crew.
The Stolt Valor's 22-member crew -- 18 Indians, two Filipinos, one Bangladeshi and one Russian -- is reported to be safe but the tanker is still in Somali waters.
The Japanese shipping company had reportedly contracted professionals who had been holding negotiations with the pirates to secure the sailors' release.
The waters off its coast are considered to be some of the world's most dangerous -- pirates have hijacked nearly 30 ships this year and attacked many more.
Most attacks have been in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major route leading to the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia.
Source: Xinhua, Nov 16, 2008