Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Fisheries minister for the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Abdulqadir Muse Yusuf, told Reuters on Sunday that a deal had been struck between Iran and pirates on the return of the Iranian ship.
Yusuf claimed the Iranian ship with 28 crew members would be freed once the US$2 million ransom is paid.
An Iranian official, however, denied the report on Wednesday, saying, "negotiations are underway but no agreement has been reached on the US$2 million ransom with the pirates."
The deputy CEO of Iran's shipping company, Ibrahim Mohammad-Nabi, also rejected the Puntland minister's allegations that the Iranian bulk carrier was 'carrying weapons to Eritrea', asserting that the ship - Iran Diyanat - had no weapons on board.
The ship was carrying 42,500 tons of minerals and industrial products and was hired by a German company before it was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast on August 21.
Mohammad-Nabi also confirmed that no Russian or Syrian nationals are aboard the vessel, rejecting Yusuf's claims that an international crew operates the ship.
Various international cargo ships have been hijacked near Somalia.
Somali gunmen are reportedly holding more than 10 ships for ransom at Eyl, a lawless former fishing outpost.
Source: PressTV, Sept 10, 2008