Captain held by Somalia Pirates appeals to German Chancellor Merkel

(Version anglaise seulement)

The captain of a cargo vessel captured by Somali pirates has appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to intervene to secure a release, a report said Saturday.

"We are all desperate and some are also ill," said the MV HANSA STAVANGER captain, one of five Germans among the 24-strong crew held since 4th April 2009.

"We beg you... to help us so that our kidnappers put an end to this crazy game," the captain was quoted as saying in an email by the weekly Der Spiegel magazine.

A spokesman for the German foreign ministry did not confirm that the message had been received but said an emergency cell was working to find a solution.

"Our main priority is the protection of the lives of the people concerned," the spokesman said.

According to the magazine, a number of attempts to reach an agreement on a ransom payment failed with the pirates who were pushing for a sum of around six million dollars in April.

The 20,000-tonne German container carrier was attacked far out at sea, around 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles, according to officials.

For Monday a press release is expected.

Source:Ecoterra, July 5, 2009

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