Somali Pirates Free Greek Cargo Vessel
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 written by Abdulaziz Billow Ali

On Monday pirates released a Greek owned cargo vessel with its 22 crew members after they received the agreed ransom, Greek officials said. The Marshall Islands-flagged MV Filitisa and its crew of three Greek officers and 19 Filipinos were seized in the Indian Ocean on November 10. “The ransom for the Greek ship was received this afternoon and the pirates who were holding the ship have left it,” said Abdi Yare, a pirate leader, from the nearby coastal town of Harardhere. “But they have left some colleagues on board to give them time to vanish with the money,” he explained.

Some witnesses in the area had reported the presence of helicopters, presumably from a nearby warship belonging to an international anti-piracy naval mission, circling above the MV Filitisa. “The ship will be free once the money is properly secured but the security of those who received the ransom should be assured by their friends, who will stay onboard until sometime in the evening,” Yare added. Meanwhile, the Greek Coast Guard in a statement said MV Filista was heading towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa after being released by he pirates.

The MV Filitsa was seized some 500 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles as it was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to the South African port of Durban. Somalia waters have become a breeding ground for pirates who hijack ships and demand a ransom in exchange, this is a s a result of instability experienced in Somalia since 1991 after Mogadishu warlords toppled Siad Bare’s regime.

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