Pirates threaten to kill Chinese crew
Source: Agencies |
December 1, 2009, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SOMALI pirates warned yesterday they would kill the crew of a Chinese bulk carrier if China's navy attempted to wrest control of the vessel from them.
Pirates also seized a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States, an official said yesterday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region.
In a statement read to Reuters over the phone, one of the pirates holding the 25 crew members of the coal ship De Xin Hai, seized in mid-October, said they had heard the Chinese navy was planning a rescue mission.
"We know they have arrayed their warships in Somalia waters to attack us," pirate Nur said, reading the statement from on board the ship.
"There have been negotiations between us and the Chinese to release the ship and we are not ignorant about their deception.
"We are telling them not to gamble with the lives of the Chinese teenagers in our hands. Honestly, we will kill if we are attacked."
Earlier this month, one pirate said his gang and owners of the vessel were discussing a US$3.5 million ransom. The Chinese bulk vessel was hijacked with 76,000 tons of coal and is owned by Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co.
The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked on Sunday about 1,300 kilometers off the coast of Somalia, said Commander John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
Harbour said it originated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was destined for the US. The ship has 28 crew members on board, he said.
The shipping intelligence company Lloyd's List said the Maran Centaurus is a "very large crude carrier, with a capacity of over 300,000 tons." Officials could not immediately say how many barrels of oil were on board, but its value would be in the millions of dollars.
Pirates also seized a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States, an official said yesterday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region.
In a statement read to Reuters over the phone, one of the pirates holding the 25 crew members of the coal ship De Xin Hai, seized in mid-October, said they had heard the Chinese navy was planning a rescue mission.
"We know they have arrayed their warships in Somalia waters to attack us," pirate Nur said, reading the statement from on board the ship.
"There have been negotiations between us and the Chinese to release the ship and we are not ignorant about their deception.
"We are telling them not to gamble with the lives of the Chinese teenagers in our hands. Honestly, we will kill if we are attacked."
Earlier this month, one pirate said his gang and owners of the vessel were discussing a US$3.5 million ransom. The Chinese bulk vessel was hijacked with 76,000 tons of coal and is owned by Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co.
The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked on Sunday about 1,300 kilometers off the coast of Somalia, said Commander John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
Harbour said it originated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was destined for the US. The ship has 28 crew members on board, he said.
The shipping intelligence company Lloyd's List said the Maran Centaurus is a "very large crude carrier, with a capacity of over 300,000 tons." Officials could not immediately say how many barrels of oil were on board, but its value would be in the millions of dollars.
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