Pirates assure safety of crew

5 March 2010 01:45 pm

The Sri Lanka Consulate in Jeddah has held discussions with senior officials of the shipping company of the hijacked Saudi Arabian vessel and urged them to expedite the release of the 13 Sri Lankan crew members.

The Consulate has also informed Colombo that when the shipping company had established contacts with the pirates through satellite communication, the pirates had assured the shipping company that they would not harm the Sri Lankan crew members. 

The Consulate General added that their officials had also held discussions with the General Manager of the shipping company, who had stated that the family members of the Sri Lankan crew members had been informed of the incident, including the actions being taken by the shipping company to secure the release of the crew.

The Saudi Arabian ship, ‘Al Nisa Al Saudi’ was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on Monday with a 14-member crew aboard which includes 13 Sri Lankans and one Greek. The tanker was on its way from Japan to Jeddah when it was hijacked. The hijackers have demanded a ransom of US$2.2 million.

The Foreign Ministry said that it will continue to monitor the situation and take all necessary measures to expedite the release of the Sri Lankan crew members through the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry and the Sri Lankan Missions in Saudi Arabia.