No reprieve for sea-jacked vessel

by Manjula Fernando

The WFP chartered vessel which was reported to have been freed by Somali pirates two months after its capture has again been taken away by the hijackers along with its crew including its Sri Lankan Captain, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

It is reported that the negotiations between the WFP and the rebel group's representatives collapsed at the Port of El-maan where the ship was expected to unload its 800 tons of rice cargo and sail back to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

The Kenyan owned vessel MV Semlov reached El-maan on September 19 after reports that the pirates were planning to release it. The vessel was seized by pirates in the troubled Somalian waters while on a humanitarian mission on June 27.

According to WFP, the ship was transporting a rice consignment donated by Japan and Germany for Somalian tsunami victims.

The spokesperson said the ship is now anchored at a point near the port city of Haradhere, (30 kilometres north of Mogadishu), where it was originally held by the rebels.

"It sailed off from El-maan on September 22. It is now anchored off coast Haradhere, may be with most of its cargo," she said quoting the Sri Lankan mission in Kenya.

The WFP office in Colombo confirmed that the hijackers agreed to free the vessel with its crew and the Sri Lankan captain S. Mahalingam on September 15.

It is also reported the same band of pirates have hijacked another ship in the Somalian waters. There were conflicting reports on the reasons for the hijacking and at one time it was reported the hijackers were demanding a ransom of US$ 500,000.

The WFP refused to pay any ransom to the pirates and negotiations went on through a third party to rescue the ship, its crew and the cargo.

Following the release announcement on September 15, the Sri Lankan mission in Kenya confirmed the crew and the Captain was in good shape and they had been treated well by the pirates. No reports have been received afterwards.