Negotiations for release of hijacked Yemeni ship advancing: Owner

Nov 28, 2008, 16:01 GMT

Sana'a, Yemen - Negotiations between Somali tribal leaders and pirates who hijacked a Yemeni cargo ship last week were advancing and the ship could be released 'soon,' the ship's owner said Friday.

'Negotiations have reached an advanced level, and we hope the ship will soon be released,' Attas Salim Aboud told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa. He refused to provide further details about the talks.

The ship, Erina, was attacked as it sailed from the south-eastern Yemeni port city of Mukalla to the Indian Ocean island of Socotra on November 19. It is now off the Eyl port, in the semi-autonomous Puntland region in northern Somalia.

The vessel is carrying 570 tons of steel and construction equipment belonging to the Juraiba and Bin-Makhzoum Construction company in Mukalla.

The Somali pirates have demanded 2 million dollars in ransom for the release of the ship, but the owner, who is a Yemeni national of Somali origin, has said he would not pay any ransom.

On Wednesday, Aboud said Somali security forces blockaded the vessel and were preparing to storm it if the talks fail and the pirates insist on their ransom demand.

He said the troops were backed by dozens of tribesmen who had rushed to Eyl to press for the ship's release.

'The pirates are now surrounded and could not get even food supplies,' he said.

Eight crew members (three Yemenis, three Somalis and two Tanzanians) were taken hostage by the pirates.

Piracy off the Horn of Africa nation has surged in recent months as Somalia descends further into chaos and the ineffectual central government continues to squabble rather than govern.