somalia:Agreement reached on ransom of crew seized off Somali coast
Talks on the ransom for the crew of a German freighter hijacked by pirates in coastal waters of Somalia at the end of last month have been completed.
Spokespeople for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told reporters today that the negotiations over the size of the ransom and conditions of its delivery have been brought to an end, news agency Interfax reports.
According to the Ukrainian ministry, the money will be handed over to pirates in territorial waters and preparations for the handover are underway.
The ministry declined to disclose the size of the ransom.
The talks with the pirates were conducted by members of a crisis team based in Hamburg, Germany.
The crisis headquarters has information that the crew are in a satisfactory condition but they are not getting enough drinking water.
Estonian Foreign Ministry spokesman Lauri Matsulevits confirmed that agreement has been reached with pirates on the size of the ransom and ways to hand the money over are being sought. The ministry's consular department has been in constant touch with the negotiators, he added.
According to Matsulevits, the ministry has turned to countries in that part of the Indian Ocean to find ways to take the vessel to port as speedily as possible after its release and give assistance to the crew.
"Our aim is for the situation to be resolved and the crew of the Lehmann Timber including an Estonian sailor to be released as speedily as possible," the spokesman said.
He added that the ministry has raised the issue of piracy on the seas in international organizations such as the European Union and NATO, and that it's on the agenda of upcoming meetings. "We cannot accept that international shipping routes are under constant threat of attacks by hijackers and terrorists," he said.
The hijacked German cargo ship, the Lehmann Timber, had a crew of 15, among them four Ukrainian nationals and one Estonian citizen -- the first mate Ardo Kalle.Source: Baltic News Service