Malta-flagged ship’s crew still held hostage four months on
Matthew Vella
The Ukrainian crew of MV Ariana, that had been seized four months ago by pirates near the shores of Somali, has asked Ukraine’s authorities for help over their situation.
Pirates attacked the Malta-flagged Ariana on May 2009 in the north of Madagascar during its voyage from Brazil to the Middle East. The ship was transporting soya beans.
All 24 crewmen are Ukrainians. The owner of bulk carrier is Candela Shipping, a company registered in Malta. The operator is British company Seven Seas Maritime.
“We are exhausted and in despair,” the captain of the ship was reported saying. One of the crewmen, a woman, is sick and needs hospitalization. But pirates refuse to release female. 25 people are in the captivity.
The mother of the second mechanical engineer at Ariana, Larysa Muruhova, claimed that the pirates are tormenting sailors. She told Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 that her son called her and told her about being tortured by the Somali pirates.
The ship is on the berth near the Nobe village on the north of Somali. The pirates are demanding USD10 million for its release.
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