MV Blida crewmen held for 10 months
The Saudi owner of an Algerian-flagged cargo ship whose crew were held by Somali pirates for 10 months admitted paying $ 2.6 million to free them in November 2011, according to Arab News.
The MV Blida, carrying 17 Algerians, six Ukrainians, two Filipinos, one Jordanian and one Indonesian, was captured by a gang of heavily armed pirates on Jan. 1, 2011, on its way from Oman to Tanzania. Two of hostages were released for health reasons in October that year, with the rest freed the following month when a bag full of cash was parachuted from a plane.
“The pirates demanded a ransom of $ 2.6 million to free the sailors and the ship. The Algerian government refused to negotiate or pay a ransom,” owner Ghaith Rashad Feraoun told Arabic daily Ennahar. “I thought of the sailors. I had no interest in freeing the bulk carrier and cement on board, as it was 100 percent insured and the insurance companies were going to reimburse me,” he said.
Source: Arab News
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