AMMAN - Somali pirates have released the MV Victoria, a Jordanian-flagged ship owned by a UAE company, which was hijacked on May 17 off the Somali coast, Minister of Transport Alaa Batayneh told The Jordan Times on Saturday.
"We have been informed by the ship's owner, Marwan Shipping and Trading Company, that the ship and its crew and cargo were released on Friday," he said, adding that he was unaware of any deal with the pirates concerning the ship's release.
The ship's owners told the East Africa Seafarers Assistance Programme that it was released Friday and is now travelling with a handful of Somali soldiers on board to ensure its safe passage to Mogadishu, where it will offload its cargo, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Friday.
There have been conflicting reports about whether the ship, which has a dozen crew members from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Tanzania, was carrying humanitarian aid or commercial cargo.
This month's hijacking marked the second attack on the MV Victoria in Somali waters. Pirates attempted to board the vessel last year outside Merka, a port in southern Somalia, but the ship escaped.
Piracy is rampant along the 3,000-kilometre Somali coast, which is strategically located near key shipping routes connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. There have been more than a dozen pirate attacks this year alone, AP added.
The ship was reported missing on Friday May 17, after communication with the vessel, which was carrying 4,200 tonnes of sugar, was lost at 8:00am Saturday while it was making its way from India to Mogadishu.
Batayneh said, after receiving news of the vessel's capture, the ministry coordinated efforts with relevant authorities to ensure the release of the ship and its crew.
Under an agreement with Jordan, Denmark provides protection to ships carrying the Jordanian flag in Somali waters.
The minister previously told The Jordan Times that he instructed the Jordanian maritime authorities to issue a warning to ships and vessels carrying the Jordanian flag to avoid sailing along the Somali coast.
Around 40 ships of different nationalities carry the Jordanian flag. In return, Jordan provides administrative assistance to these vessels in international ports, while their protection is the responsibility of countries in which these ships dock.
Last month, four countries introduced a draft resolution in the UN Security Council, urging maritime powers to fight piracy off Somalia's coast and authorising them to arrest pirates in Somali waters.
The resolution is aimed at combating a recent surge in ship hijackings for ransom in waters off the coast of lawless Somalia, one of the world's most dangerous shipping zones.
By Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2008
