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Captive: An experience never forgotten

Captain Calixto Caniete and his crew of the Renuar were held captive for 133 days It took over five months for the captain to find the courage to speak publicly about the ordeal his crew went through.He talks to Lloyd's List Craig Eason about the capture and the treatment onboard while the pirates got frustrated waiting for the ransom payment.

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Call for award for former piracy hostage in Russia

Request to the government to grant Victor Nikolskiy, Master of m/v Faina Labour activists and industry representatives in Russia have backed a proposal that could enhance state awards for seafarers.Attending the congress of the ITF-affiliated Seafarers' Union of Russia (SUR) in St Petersburg on 25 November, the more than 100 participants - from international trade union leaders and government officials to shipping company and maritime academy representatives - called for improvements to be made in legislation regarding state awards for seafarers. The issue arose in light of the SUR's support for a request to the government to grant Victor Nikolskiy, Master of m/v Faina an award; he exhibited bravery when his vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates in September 2008.Delegates also broached a variety of other subjects including the right of union representatives to gain unhindered access to members in ports.The congress elected Yury Sukhorukov, former SUR vice-president, to the SUR presidency. He promised to work to increase wages for seafarers, improve vessels' safety standards, strengthen trade union solidarity and further promote the SUR to build union strength.Invited to represent the ITF, Stephen Cotton, the federation's maritime coordinator, congratulated Sukhorukov on his election and pledged to work closely with the ...

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Relatives of pirated ship’s crew seek resolution

Crew of MV Iceberg The relatives of shipping crew who were taken hostage by Somali pirates earlier this year, have sought assistance from the Indian government to help secure the prisoners' release, reports The National.The MV Iceberg, a Dubai-owned vessel belonging to Azal Shipping Company, which was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden in March, is being held by pirates with a total of 24 crew of international origin still captive.Representatives of the crewmen's families have met with the Indian opposition leader, Sushma Swaraj, of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday to attempt to resolve the issue.Mr Singh, a brother of one of the captives, told The National that they were trying hard to arrange for someone to come to the rescue of their loved ones.He said his family had not heard anything from his brother since June 3. "That was the last time when he called us. We don't know how he is doing now."The MV Iceberg, was en route to Jebel Ali when it was hijacked. At the time of its capture the MV Iceberg was crewed by nine Yemenis, six Indians, four Ghanaians, two Pakistanis, two Sudanese and a Filipino.Source: Arabian Supply Chain

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MT Gemini Released

Four South Korean Crew Still Held Pirates have released the Singapore-flagged MT Gemini and 21 crew members, although they have kept a hold of four South Korean seamen who were on the ship, pirates and maritime officials said Thursday.The MT Gemini was taken on April 30, and pirates had initially demanded $5 million for its release. There was no information on the size of the ransom."The Singaporean vessel has been released on Wednesday late after payment, but they kept the South Korean crew ... because they want six of their colleagues jailed in South Korea to be released," Mu'min Ali, a Haradhere-based pirate, told Somalia Report. "The ransom amount is not clear, as pirate groups don't like to reveal how much they got these days."The vessel was left anchored at Hobyo, he said.Nairobi-based diplomats said the vessel would shortly get underway, and that the four Koreans were taken to an unknown destination on shore.The Singapore-based owner Glory Ship Management confirmed the release in a statement."The pirates ... released 21 of the 25 crew on board but took four South Korean seamen, including the captain, ashore at the last moment despite earlier promises to release the entire all-man crew," Reuters news ...

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Italian navy aids ship freed from Somali pirates

News report that ransom has been paid - it was dropped onto the ship by a plane An Italian navy ship Saturday came to the aid of a merchant vessel released by Somali pirates after over seven months in captivity, with news reports saying a ransom was dropped from a small plane."Considering what they have lived through, the crew are well," said Gualtiero Mattesi, an admiral who also heads NATO's anti-piracy operation "Ocean Shield, speaking from the navy destroyer on the scene."Military teams today boarded the 'Rosalia D'Amato' to guarantee the safety of the crew," he said, adding that the ship was still in Somali waters but would head out once the necessary checks have been carried out.Reports that the ship with six Italians and 15 Filipinos on board had been released surfaced on Friday but were only confirmed on Saturday.Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi voiced "strong satisfaction" over the release, saying it had been "a painful experience."The 225-metre (738-foot) vessel belonging to Naples-based Perseveranza had been on its way from Brazil to Iran with a cargo of soybeans when it was seized by pirates off the coast of Oman on April 21 and taken back to Somalia."In five or six ...

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Italian ship hijacked by pirates in April freed

15 Filipinos ohave been released An Italian merchant ship hijacked by Somali pirates in April in the Arabian Sea near Oman with six Italians and 15 Filipinos on board has been freed, Italian news media reported.The 225-metre (738-foot) Rosalia D'Amato - owned by Naples-based shipper Perseveranza - had been sailing from Brazil to Iran with a cargo of soybeans and came under fire from its attackers when it was taken on April 21.La Repubblica daily reported that the ship was currently on its way to "a safe area" and said that a ransom had been paid. Pirates had initially demanded $22 million (16.6 million euros) to free the ship."The negotiations yielded a deal over the past few days. Very few details are available on this operation and the amount of the ransom is unknown," La Repubblica said."The vessel has probably turned on its engines and sailing away from the spot where it was held. To guarantee its full freedom, it needs to sail to a safe area first and be met by one of the naval vessels patrolling the region," it added.A representative of Perseveranza told AFP she could not confirm or deny the reports but the Italian foreign ministry ...

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Ex-hostages tell of Somali kidnapping ordeal

Chief engineer of the MV Blida has vowed never to go to sea again Mohamed Ait Ramdane's ordeal did not end when a ransom fell from the sky and the pirates left the ship. After 31 years as a sailor, the chief engineer of the MV Blida has vowed never to go to sea again.Released on November 3 with his 25 fellow crew members, the 55-year-old Algerian is a bruised man, grappling with the same trauma experienced by hundreds of other often anonymous victims of Somali piracy.Held hostage for 10 months, the crew of 17 Algerians, six Ukrainians, two Filipinos, one Jordanian and one Indonesian endured death threats and were deprived of food and clean drinking water while they watched their Somali captors get drunk."At the beginning, we were afraid we would be killed. After that, they killed us every day psychologically," said Ramdane, who talked falteringly about his ordeal from his family home in Hadjout, 70 kilometres (45 miles) west of Algiers."The Somali pirates were on board a Tunisian ship, Hannibal, equipped with three motor boats," he explained.Between 20 and 30 heavily armed pirates then ascended the Blida, cutting the radio and radar as they arrived.Like Ramdane, fellow sailor ...

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Oil supply vessel off the coast of Nigeria attacked by pirates

Pirates have kidnapped three people Gunmen stormed a ship supplying a Chevron Corp. offshore oil field, kidnapping three workers in an attack raising concerns over a possible unraveling amnesty deal in the crude-rich nation, authorities said Friday.The attack happened Thursday night near Chevrons massive Agbami oil field, operated by its Nigerian subsidiary about 70 nautical miles offshore from Bayelsa state in Nigerias oil-rich southern delta, officials said. Eight gunmen boarded the MV C-Endeavour, attacking the crew and taking the three sailors hostage, Chevron spokesman Kurt Glaubitz said.A private security official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as details about the kidnapping remained closely held, said those abducted were foreigners. Glaubitz declined to identify those kidnapped, citing the San Ramon, Calif.-based companys security rules.The safety of our employees and contractors is our first priority, Glaubitz said. Chevron Nigerian Ltd. is the assisting the service company to ensure the safe release of the kidnapped crew members.Glaubitz said the ship belonged to contractor Edison Chouest Offshore, based in Galliano, Louisiana. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.A Nigerian navy spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Foreign firms have pumped oil out ...

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Prosecutors: Somalis Tortured German Ship Hostages

To extract a higher ransom payment and to find information about the ship's fuel reserve A band of pirates tortured the crew of a German tanker off the coast of Somalia to extract a higher ransom payment and to find information about the ship's fuel reserves, according to a federal court filing.The revelation appears in a filing by the government explaining why it believes piracy charges against Mohammad Saaili Shibin should not be dismissed. Prosecutors say Shibin is the highest-ranking pirate the U.S. has ever captured and that he acted as a land-based negotiator who also researched victims' online to determine their worth and secure hefty ransoms. Shibin's attorney contends the piracy charge should be dismissed because he didn't commit robbery at sea.Shibin has been charged with a litany of crimes, including hostage taking, for his roles in the May 2010 hijacking of the Marida Marguerite as well as the February hijacking of the yacht Quest, where all four Americans on board were killed.In a filing Tuesday, prosecutors said the piracy charge should stick because the robbery of the Marida Marguerite continued after it was taken to Somalia, where the ship and its mostly Indian crew were held until January. ...

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