08 Sep 2009
Somali pirates active in the Gulf of Aden have reportedly demanded a ransom of some $20 million for the release of a Turkish-flagged bulk carrier Horizon 1 and its 23 crew members.

"The ransom they asked for is $20 million, but negotiations on kidnappings such as these usually end with agreement on 10 to 20 per cent of the amount asked," Nilgun Yamaner, who represents the owner of the ship, told AFP.

"In our case, that amounts to a figure between USD 2 to 4 million," she added.

The cargo ship MV Horizon-1 -- owned and operated by the Istanbul-based Horizon Maritime Trading Co. -- was carrying 33,000 metric tons of sulfur ore from Saudi Arabia to Jordan when seized on July 8, 2009.

As reported by the Turkish Navy, the vessel was brought first to the Somali port of Hordio, where it anchored on July 9. A day later, the Horizon-1 left Hordio and sailed to the so-called pirate haven of Eyl in northern Somalia's breakaway Puntland region.

Piracy off Somalia, one of the world's busiest shipping areas, and other coasts of Africa has increased sharply over the past year, earning the pirates millions of dollars of ransom payments and pushing up maritime insurance rates.

Dozens of international naval ships are patrolling the waters off the Somali coast but despite efforts they have not been successful to stop pirate attacks.

presstv