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Pirates release ship, crew after 19 months

MV Iceberg 1, a ship owned by a Dubai-based company, has been released by Somali pirates after nearly 19 months.

DUBAI - MV Iceberg 1, a ship owned by a Dubai-based company, has been released by Somali pirates after nearly 19 months., a ship owned by a Dubai-based company, has been released by Somali pirates after nearly 19 months.

An undisclosed sum was reportedly paid as ransom to the pirates who released the vessel on Friday. The Iceberg 1 is expected to dock at Salalah in Oman by the end of the week.

MV Iceberg 1, owned by Dubai’s Azal Shipping Company, was heading for Jebel Ali Port when it was hijacked by Somali pirates on March 29, 2010, near the Gulf of Aden. It was said to be carrying mechanical instruments.

A Dubai-based source said the vessel was released only after the Somali-Yemeni owner negotiated with the pirates for over a year. “The release of the ship was delayed because the owner wanted it to sail with all its crew members,” a source told Khaleej Times. “Relatives of one of the Indian crew aboard the freed ship claimed on Monday that they had received a call from the ship,” said the source. During captivity, the crew members were said to be suffering from serious mental and physical problems after being kept alive on a meagre ration of food in a 5X5-foot cabin. One crew member named Wagdi Akram had committed suicide on October 27, 2010 by jumping into the sea.

Upon arrival in Dubai, the crew, comprising citizens of Pakistan, India, Yemen, Ghana, Sudan and the Philippines, will be repatriated to their home countries.Since the ship has been docked for over a year, marine growth on the propeller has slowed its speed. But upon crossing Sukutra Island in Yemen, the vessel would have entered international waters being manned by the Indian navy. Reportedly, a total of eight ships and an unknown number of dhows and smaller vessels are still being held by Somali pirates.

Azal Shipping did not comment on the development.

asmalizain@khaleejtimes.com