The crew includes Algerians and Ukrainians
The crew of an Algerian flagged cargo ship that was seized by pirates earlier this year is sound and healthy but exhausted from filthy living conditions, a spokesman for their families said Monday.
The hostages “telephoned their families. They said they were exhausted. They are kept on the gangway of their ship. The water (being fed) is dirty, the food rancid,” said Abdelkader Achour, whose brother is among the 27 captives.
“We ask the Algerian authorities to intervene to speed up their release,” he added.
The Blida bulk carrier was seized around 150 nautical miles southeast of the Omani port of Salalah on January 1 as it was heading for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The kidnapped crew includes Algerians and Ukrainians.
Although the pirates are unidentified, they are widely believed to be Somali pirates. Pirates captured around 1,200 seamen last year mainly in the Indian Ocean, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci on Sunday urged for all hostages in Somalia to be freed.
“We seize this opportunity to launch a solemn call so that all hostages, including Algerians, who have been detained since the beginning of this year, be freed, in the hope that they can quickly rejoin their families,” he said.
He added that Algiers continued to follow the situation closely and was in regular contact with the ship-owner, which has been negotiating its crew’s release, although talks have yet to bear fruit.
Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz said in January that Algeria will not pay ransom, saying it encourages criminals and finances terrorism.
Source: AFP
