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| Africa Horn |
| Bureaucracy delays release of hijacked Saudi ship |
| 2010-07-11 |
| [Arab News] The release of a Saudi ship hijacked by Somali pirates is being delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles, local sources revealed on Saturday. The ship, Al-Nisr Al-Saudi, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on March 1 with 13 Sri Lankan crew members and Greek Capt. Georgios Skalimis on board. The bunker barge, owned by International Bunkering Company Ltd. (IBCO), was on its way from Japan to Jeddah when it was hijacked. The hijackers initially demanded a $20 million ransom. The ship is presently anchored on the Somali coast of Gada. "Our country is deeply concerned with the whole issue since all the sailors except the captain of the hijacked ship are our countrymen," Sri Lankan Ambassador Ahmed A. Jawad told Arab News. "The Saudi shipping company had remitted the ransom to a bank account in the Kingdom, but it can only be withdrawn with the permission of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA)." SAMA has laid down strict regulations in the disbursement of funds under the terrorism and money-laundering regulations. Jawad said the mission is in touch with SAMA officials and they are convinced of the reasons given by the shipping company for withdrawal of funds but said it is waiting for the approval of the Ministry of Interior to release the amount. The amount of the ransom has not been made public. The hijackers said they will not harm the vessel's crew, the ambassador said. According to a source at the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, families of the detained sailors have received pay from the Saudi company during this ordeal. The crew members have been allowed to communicate by satellite phone. The International Bunkering Company Ltd. is working with its insurer, the Saudi IACI Cooperative Insurance Company (SALAMA), to work out the final phase of the crew members' release. The ship had no cargo when it was seized. |
| Posted by:Fred |