Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that the hijacked Indonesian Tug has been released and still the pirates upheld the crew of the Indonesian barge for a whopping sum of ransom.
The Indonesian-flagged barge, with its 10 crew members are still being held by the hijackers. No details are available regarding the hostages.
On 26th March, 2016, the crew members were kidnapped following the hijacking of the two vessels in the Philippine waters. The Ministry said that it had received the information on the hijackings on March 28th and that it was in communication with relevant shipowners ever since.
The ministry said in a statement that “During the phone conversation with the shipowners, the hijackers/hostage takers demanded ransom money. Since March 26th, those responsible have contacted the ship owners twice.” According to the reports, the ransom is set at 50 million pessos (USD 1.07 million).
The ministry informed that the release of the hostage has been given the ‘top priority’ by the Indonesian government.
Source: Ships & Ports
