Pirates who hijacked UAE ship 'may need repairs'

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2012 Feb 21

Pirates who hijacked UAE ship 'may need repairs'

Somali pirates who last week hijacked the UAE-based MV Leila cargo vessel may have wanted help repairing their own ship, says an employee of the Dubai-based shipowner.It is hoped the pirates will then free the ship because the cargo owner is also Somali and can negotiate with them, said Tarik, the cargo clearing clerk for the New Port Cargo and Shipping Company.

The ship's captain has stayed in contact by satellite phone and the 15-man crew from India, Pakistan and Somalia remain unharmed, he said.

"The crew are all okay. They are safe. They are speaking on the telephone," Tarik said. "Maybe the Somalis themselves, they can solve this problem."

The dozen or so pirates who boarded last week 50 nautical miles off the coast of Oman are "demanding some repairs for their vessel, some spare parts", he said. "Their boat is also with them. Maybe they will repair it and go back."

It was unclear if the ship is currently headed toward its destination, the Somali port town of Berbera, or toward Bossaso, where the pirates are believed to come from, he said.

The cargo included foodstuffs, vehicles, building materials and other goods.

The MV Leila, one of two ships owned by New Port, had made deliveries to Somalia for nine years and never been hijacked, Tarik said. However, it was held under court order last year at the Somaliland port of Berbera over an alleged legal dispute between Somaliland authorities, cargo owners and the shipowner.

Last July Somali pirates freed a small oil tanker owned by a firm in Sharjah without demanding a ransom, after the Somali cargo owners pressed local tribal leaders and government officials to intervene.

Source: thenational.ae

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