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In a move that could change the pirate-hostage equation, Somali pirates have taken in a multi-million dollar ransom, then released the ship and some of the crew but kept all the Indian crew members as hostages.
A pirate said the Indian crew members’ hostage ordeal is being prolonged in retaliation for the arrests of more than 100 Somali pirates by the Indian Navy.
“We decided to keep the Indian because India is holding our colleagues,” the pirate, Hassan Farah, said. “We released the other crew members who sailed away from our coast. We will keep these Indians until the Indians release our colleagues.”
Farah said the pirates in the stronghold of Haradhere have taken that collective decision. The Indian hostages are to be moved to land. A multi-million dollar ransom was paid for the ship Asphalt Venture, whose ownership is located in Mumbai.
Pirates are receiving an average of $5 million to release ships and crew, and a ransom in that ballpark was believed to have been paid.
It was not immediately clear how many of the 15 crew members aboard the Asphalt Venture were Indian. The ship was hijacked in late September.
The pirates’ action marks a major departure from the standard pirate business model of release-for-ransom and could complicate international military efforts against the piracy trade.
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