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Sail-World.com : Freed Sailors Reach Kenya, but New Pirate Kidnap
Freed Sailors Reach Kenya, but New Pirate Kidnap
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'Pirate Zone'
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While Yemen reports a new suspected kidnapping of an unidentified transiting yact in the Gulf of Aden, two German cruising sailors freed by Somali Pirates after after 41 days in captivity have now been airlifted to Kenya, a regional maritime official said yesterday (Sunday)
Latest reports indicate that Yemen is probing reports that an unidentified yacht may have fallen into the hands of pirates in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, the interior ministry said.
The coastguard began searching for the boat on Friday night after receiving reports that pirates may have taken over the yacht, a statement on the ministry's website said. No mention was made of the nationality of the pirates, but the Yemen Government in recent years has increased its active surveillance in its own waters by coastguard patrols, so the kidnapping pirates are likely to be Somalis.
It did not specify the nationality of the yacht nor say how many people were aboard the boat.
With regard to the German cruising couple, Andrew Mwangura, East African Coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the 63-year-old Juergen Kantiner and the 51-year-old Sabine Merck, who were kidnapped on June 23 this year, are expected to fly to Germany early next week.
 | Pirates look over the edge of a skiff in international waters off Somalia - .. . |
'The couple arrived in Nairobi yesterday (Sunday) afternoon from Somalia en-route to Germany. The gunmen abandoned the Yacht Boat on the shores and disappeared into the mountains,' said Mwangura, who met the couple in Nairobi on Sunday.
'The couple complained a lot that they were harassed. It was not clear if the full ransom had been paid to free the hostages from the pirates' mountain stronghold, although initial reports indicate that some big money exchanged hands,' he said.
Sources in Puntland, northeast Somalia, said Saturday that the kidnapers released the hostages after accepting a ransom half of the amount they initially demanded. The German couple was kidnapped from their yacht while under way through the Gulf of Aden on a trip from Egypt to Thailand. The pirates ransacked their yacht and then took them to northern Somalia by speedboat.
Pirate attacks against fishing boats, cargo ships and yachts off Somalia's coast have surged over recent months. Foreigners, who can be exchanged for large ransoms, are frequent targets. Somalia's coastal waters are close to shipping routes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and the country's interim government lacks the resources to police the country's coastline.
The UN Security Council voted in June to allow countries to send warships into Somalia's waters to tackle the pirates. However, countries have been slow to take up the opportunity.
The International Maritime Bureau said more than 25 ships were seized off Somalia's 3,700 kilometers of coastline last year despite patrols by an international force based in Djibouti.
Previous report: 2 days ago:
Pirates on Friday freed two German sailors they had held in remote northern Somalia since June, said locals elders and a source close to the gang.
'They have released the two Germans,' said an accomplice of the pirates, who gave his name as Yusuf. 'They are well and we will be taking them to Bosasso.'
Local elders confirmed the pair had been freed after a ransom was paid. Yusuf, who was among a group that carried the cash to the kidnappers, said it was $1 million.
The two Germans were seized off Yemen in June while sailing to Thailand. The pirates ransacked their yacht then took them to northern Somalia by a speedboat.
by BW Media
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8:56 PM Sun 10 Aug 2008 GMT
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