Somali Pirates Demand $8 million for Greek Vessel MT Liquid Velvet
A ransom demand of $8 million was made for MT Liquid Velvet 49 days after it was hijacked by Somali pirates.
Exclusive by Somalia Report
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MT Liquid Velvet (Photo: Erick Antonio Montalvo)
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The Somali pirates that are holding the Greek-owned MT Liquid Velvet have demanded $8 million in ransom, according to a pirate who spoke to Somalia Report on Monday. This demand comes 49 days after the pirates hijacked the vessel on November 1st.
Pirate sources told Somalia Report that the pirates were initially divided over how much to demand for the chemical tanker. “My friends argued for more than a month, finally they agreed to demand $8 million as a ransom,” Faysal, a well known pirate in Garacad, told Somalia Report. “The crew are in good health and they are living besides my friends on the vessel. Things are going well, negotiations will begin soon," added Faysal.
The MT Liquid Velvet with a crew of 22, 21 Filipinos and one Greek National, was hijacked on November 1st in the Gulf of Aden, on her way to India from the Suez. According to pirates, at first the boat was held in the Bargaal district of Bari region, and then she was moved to the Garacad area of Mudug.
The leader of this group is Aw-Kombe, a well-known pirate from Bari region, belonging to the Siwaaqroon, a subclan of the Majeerteen.
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