Negotiations to secure the release of the 23 Sri Lankan crew members of a ship hijacked by Somali pirates is still continuing, the Foreign Ministry said as media reports indicated the hijacked vessel had now reached the shores of Somalia.

MV Talca which was seized off the coast of Oman belonged to the British Virgin Islands shipping company, Arabian Reefers Ltd. The 11,000-tonne Bermudan-flagged ship which was on its way from Egypt to Iran when it was hijacked also included two crew member’s from Philippines and Syria. All the crew members were reportedly in good health. (GS)