Somali hijackers of a Dutch ship off the Somali coast have threatened to kill the crew if the freighter is stormed, according to local radio reports.
The Garowe Radio reported Tuesday that the freighter, the Amiya Scan, is currently at anchor off the port of Bargal in northern Somalia. “The Dutch ship entered Somali territorial waters illegally for illegal fishing purposes,” said Hame Mohamed Ali. Hami said the hijackers demand ransom although he did not specify the amount of ransom money. The MV Amiya Scan, with a crew of nine, was seized after leaving the Kenyan port of Mombasa 19 May. Last week, Russia asked the Somali authorities not to endanger the lives of the crew following reports that Somali soldiers were en route to the ship, which was hijacked by pirates Sunday. The Dutch freighter has four Russian officers and five Filipino sailors on board. Twenty-six ships have been attacked by pirates in the waters in the past year. Somalia’s coastal waters are near shipping routes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and the country’s government has been unable to police its own coastline.
