By Keith Wallis in Hong Kong
Monday, January 12, 2009
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DELIGHT, a 43,218 dwt handymax bulker owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, was sailing towards Bandar Abbas today after being freed by Somali pirates late Friday.The 1986-built Hong Kong-flagged ship was released after being hijacked on November 18 in the Gulf of Aden on a voyage from Germany to Bandar Abbas with 36,000 tonnes of wheat on board.
The crew of 25 were all safe, National Union of Seafarers of India general secretary Abdulgani Serang told Lloyd’s List in a SMS message at the weekend. The crew comprised seven Indians, seven Iranians, seven Filipinos, two Ghanians and two Pakistanis.
"Nothing has happened to the cargo. The cargo has not been touched," an IRISL official told Reuters.
The Iranian shipping company would not say if a ransom had been paid to free the ship which is expected to reach Bandar Abbas around January 16 when the crew would be repatriated.
The release of the Delight came on the same day as pirates freed the Sirius Star, the Vela-owned very large crude carrier seized on November 17 off the coast of Kenya. The hijacking of the tanker provoked an international outcry and a significant increase in the number of naval vessels patrolling the area.
The Sirius Star was allowed to set sail after the payment of a $3m ransom that was packaged and dropped onto the deck of the tanker by parachute from a light aircraft.
But five pirates from the Sirius Star drowned when their speedboat capsized in stormy conditions shortly after they left the tanker. The body of one of the pirates, who had $153,000 in a plastic bag in his pocket, was washed onshore near Haradhere. Three others onboard the speedboat swam ashore, the Associated Press said.
The Faina, the 10,932 dwt Ukrainian-controlled ro-ro vessel carrying a cargo of 33 T-72 tanks, could also be released soon according to pirates holding the vessel.
"Since negotiations with the owners and Somali brokers are under way at the moment, we may reduce our demands and release the ship in the coming days when the bargaining is completed," pirate spokesman Sugulle Ali told Reuters.
Hussein Ali, an associate of the pirates, told Reuters the hijackers wanted $5m, down from an initial $20m, but the owners were holding out for less. "Negotiations are going well and we hope this time a fruitful deal will be struck," he said.
The Faina, with 21 crew onboard, was taken on September 25. There was international concern when the ship was seized because of fears the cargo of tanks could be offloaded and used by insurgent groups in Somalia. The US said the weapons were destined for southern Sudan where they could be used by rebel groups even though the cargo was bound for Mombasa in Kenya.
Source: Lloyd's, Jan 12, 2009