Algerian sailors captured by pirates are safe but "exhausted"
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The seventeen Algerian sailors captured on the 1st of January by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean are safe but "exhausted", told AFP Monday the spokesman for the families of hostages Abdelkader Achour.
- "The hostages have phoned their families. They said they were exhausted. They are being held hostage on the bridge of their ship. The water is dirty, the food is disgusting," said Achour, whose brother is held hostage with 26 other crewmembers of a vessel flying the flag of Algeria, captured on the high seas while en route to Tanzania.
- "We urge the Algerian authorities to intervene to expedite their release. Tunisia has managed to free the ship Hannibal II and its crew after four months", he added.
- This ship and its crew were released March 17 by Somali pirates who had captured them in Indian Ocean on Nov. 11, against a ransom of two million dollars, according to the Tunisian Ministry of Transport.
- The "MV Blida" belongs to the International Bulk Carrier Company (IBC), a subsidiary of CNAN Group established in 2007 and is a joint venture of Saudi-dominated Algerian law, specializing in shipping homogeneous cargo.
- Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci in Algiers on Sunday launched a "solemn" appeal to the release of all hostages held in Somalia.
- "We take this opportunity to launch a solemn appeal to the release of all hostages, including Algerian detained since early this year, hoping they can quickly join their families," said Medelci on the occasion of Africa Day.
- Medelci, quoted by APS, said that the Algerian hostages were "safe."
- "The Algerian authorities are monitoring the situation and are in regular contact (with them) through the owner who is negotiating" for their release, he said.
- The boat, carrying 27 crew members including 17 Algerians and Ukrainians, was 150 miles southeast of the port of Salalah (Oman) and was heading to Dar Es-Salaam in Tanzania when he was attacked according to European naval force Atalanta in Brussels.
- Nearly 1,200 sailors were taken hostage by pirates in 2010, mainly in the Indian Ocean, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB)
- Ennaharonline/ M. O.
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