30 Aug 2009
The Ukrainian crew of a cargo ship hijacked by pirates off Somalia have reportedly pleaded for speedy negotiations for their release after three months in captivity.

The urgent call on Sunday also sought help to ensure the immediate evacuation of a female hostage who is ill. The nature of the illness has not been made public.

"We are exhausted and desperate," the Ukrainian captain of the MV Ariana, Captain Voronov, told AFP by phone from the ship.

In a similar phone call to a Ukrainian doctor in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the sick female crewmember asked for medical help.

The pirates hijacked the ship and its 24 crew on May 2 north of Madagascar en route to the Middle East, according to an environmental watchdog. The ship was carrying 10,000 tones of soya beans.

The bandits, who are keeping the ship and the hostages against a ransom, have refused to free the woman separately.

So far this year, 114 merchant ships crossing the crucial but dangerous trade route have come under attack, 29 of which were successful. The pirates continue to defy an international naval anti-piracy presence in the region.

presstv