MV FILITSA RELEASED BY SOMALI PIRATES

"The last pirate left at around 22h00 local time (19h00 UTC) and the vessel is supposed to sail free," one of ECOTERRA's marine observers reported a short while ago.

It had been a very tense situation on board throughout the afternoon after a significant ransom had been dropped by plane. A pirate on board the MV Filitsa had told Reuters earlier they were expecting to receive $3 million for the release of the cargo ship and crew.

When the first pirate group had left with the money for safe areas on the mainland without paying out those still on the vessel and another group boarded it was feared that the piracy situation just would go into a new round.

Two helicopters from a nearby warship, presumed to be U.S. American, while EU NAVFOR insisted they had no vessel nearby, were at one point seen hovering over the hostage ship.

But when night fell and the naval vessel had backed off the remaining pirates rushed to shore.

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulker MV FILITSA loaded with fertilizer had been sailing from Kuwait via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) en route to Durban in South Africa when it was attacked and seized on Nov. 10, 2009 at a position 513 nautical miles north-east of the Seychelles .

The 1996-built, 23,709 dwt cargo-ship has a crew of 22, including three Greek officers, 18 Filipino seamen as well as one Romanian officer for whom the nightmare is now over.
The ship which was lately held near Hobyo belongs to the Greek company Order Shipping Co. Ltd., who had not provided the full crew-list, and so far has not yet confirmed the release.

~	Conference, Oct. 16, 2024. The War Against the Past: Fighting for our History

~	SLAV - Robert Lepage's Reaction

~	Author and Tolerance.ca Editor, Victor Teboul, Ph.D., to speak at the Arab World Festival of Montreal

~	Iran : Hey Ayatollah, Leave those kids alone! and Pink Floyd's remake

~	UN-backed group supports Somali Government’s peace overtures to rivals

~	Cargo vessel captured near Seychelles is commandeered to Somalia

~	U.S. and Oman Navy Rescue Indian Dhow from Somali Pirates - One Sailor Dead

~	Canada. 50% of tax filers participate in a private retirement savings plan

~	Somali Pirates capture second merchant vessel in 24h

~	Canada. 41% of adults have a high cholesterol level