Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The elders said the MV Victoria, seized last week off the Somali coast, was being held near a coastal village, around 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.
"The ship is docking around the coastal village of Murgane and the elders in Haradere town are calling the pirates to release it or face an attack from Islamic fighters in the region," local elder Ismail Adan Nile told AFP.
Mohamed Hassan Yusuf, another local elder, said a team of elders was planning to hold talks with the hijackers to obtain the unconditional release of the ship and its crew.
"Otherwise, the Islamic fighters have vowed to attack," he said.
The Jordanian government says the hijacked ship belongs to an Emirati company, and that it was carrying 4,200 tonnes of sugar donated by Denmark to the people of war-torn Somalia.
In April, forces from Somalia's breakaway Puntland region rescued a hijacked vessel from the United Arab Emirates. At least one pirates was killed during the raid while seven were arrested and later sentenced to life in prison.
In the same month, pirates seized a French luxury yacht and its crew of 30 and later a Spanish fishing boat. Both were released after a week.
The waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years, are considered to be among the most dangerous in the world for shipping.
More than 25 ships were seized off Somalia last year despite US navy patrols, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Source: AFP, May 20, 2008