ABU DHABI // The crew of a chemical tanker released by pirates off Somalia following seven weeks as hostages will be assessed for psychological trauma when the ship arrives in Fujairah over the weekend. The Japanese-operated MT Irene, with a crew of 16 Filipinos and three Croatians, was released early yesterday after the pirates were paid a reported ransom of $1.6 million (Dh5.9m). The Panamanian-flagged vessel is expected to arrive on the weekend at an anchorage off the Port of Fujairah, where the crew will be met by staff from the Philippine consulate in Dubai.
The MT Irene was heading to India on Aug 21 when it was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates have attacked 26 vessels this year. The Irene is the first ship to be released since pirates triggered an international standoff by capturing the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship transporting 33 T-72 tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons from the Ukraine to Kenya. Sixty-seven Filipino sailors remain captive on five other hijacked ships. One Filipino sailor was killed aboard another ship, which was raided by pirates two days before MT Irene was captured.
Claro Cristobal, a spokesman for the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs, said the Irene's crew were safe. It was not known when the ship would arrive in Fujairah or how long the crew would stay there. Benito Valeriano, the Philippines' consul general in Dubai, said the hostages would be given psychological tests and stress debriefings. "I will meet them once they arrive in Fujairah," he said.
Daniel Ridicki, a spokesman for the Croatian embassy in Egypt, said the embassy normally had responsibility for Somalia and the UAE but could not say if the Croats aboard the Irene would be met by consular staff at Fujairah. The hijacking was "dealt with by another diplomatic channel," he said, but declined to offer further details. "Ever since we got the news the ship has been released, we have had no contact," he said.
"It's been dealt with by another channel and I'm not authorised to pass on information. We did what we could from Cairo." Another ship captured on Aug 21 was released on Sept 11. The MV BBC Trinidad, a German-owned vessel with a Slovenian captain and a crew of 10 Filipinos and two Russians, had been held near the Somali town of Eyl and sailed to Port Qaboos in Oman after payment of a ransom reported to be $1.1m (Dh4m). On Aug 19, a Filipino sailor was killed when pirates boarded the Malaysian palm oil tanker MV Bunga Melati Dua, which had a crew of 10 Filipinos and 29 Malaysians.
None of the other hijackings have captured the world's attention like that of the MV Faina, which was captured on Sept 25 by a group that called itself the Central Regional Coast Guard. The ship was pursued by US navy ships and then prevented from offloading part of its cargo in Somalia. Since the start of October, the MV Faina has been surrounded by six US ships and a missile frigate from the Russian navy.
The pirates, who claimed they were unaware of the cargo of tanks and armaments before raiding the ship, originally sought a ransom of $35m (Dh129m) but have since reduced their demands to $20m (Dh73m). * With agencies
