FV Alakrana. Fishermen or Pirates!
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Protesters demand release of hijacked Spanish crew (msn)
[SIZE=-1]Hundreds of people on Friday rallied to demand the release of a Spanish trawler and its crew held hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean for more than three weeks, reports said.
Boats in the Basque port of Bermeo sounded their foghorns to signal the start of the demonstration in support of the crew and their families who come from the region, the reports said.
Pirates seized the Alakrana, a tuna trawler, and its 36-member crew who include 16 Spaniards, as well as Asians and Africans, on October 2.
Spanish negotiators are trying to obtain their release.
The captors are demanding four million dollars (2.6 million euros) ransom as well as the freeing of two suspected pirates being held in Spain. [/SIZE]
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All parties rally to demand release of Basque fishing boat (eitb)
All Basque political parties rallied on Friday in the Basque coastal town of Bermeo to demand the end of the hijacking of a Basque fishing boat by Somali pirates.
The rally was convened by local representatives from the five Bizkaian towns Bermeo, Mundaka, Ondarroa, Santurtzi and Sestao, where members of the Alakrana crew have their residence.
Members of the Basque Government however did not join the rally as their role "is not to join a momentary rally but to be everyday with the relatives (of the members of the Alakrana crew) and keep on working for the release of the boat", a Basque official said.
Somali pirates overran the tuna boat Alakrana in the Indian Ocean on Oct. 2 and took hostage its multinational crew of 36. The pirates are still in control of the boat from the Basque Country in northern Spain.
The boat had been fishing for tuna 800 miles from the nearest navy escort when it was boarded by pirates. It was the second attack on the Alakrana in less than a month after the captain had to take evasive action to dodge a pirate approach on Sept. 4.
Somali pirate gangs have caused havoc to shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in recent years, emboldened by millions of dollars in ransom payments.
But foreign navies were deployed off the Gulf of Aden at the beginning of the year and have guarded convoys along a transit corridor for merchant ships to pass through vulnerable points.
The number of attacks have fallen in the Gulf of Aden, but pirates now sail further afield into the Indian Ocean where the vast open sea makes it harder to detect their small craft.
Spain has tried to garner support from Somalia's government to free the crew aboard the Alakrana. But the government only controls a small portion of the country, the rest of which is run by breakaway groups and Islamist rebels.
Saward
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[SIZE=-1]Hundreds of people on Friday rallied to demand the release of a Spanish trawler and its crew held hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean for more than three weeks, reports said.
Boats in the Basque port of Bermeo sounded their foghorns to signal the start of the demonstration in support of the crew and their families who come from the region, the reports said.
Pirates seized the Alakrana, a tuna trawler, and its 36-member crew who include 16 Spaniards, as well as Asians and Africans, on October 2.
Spanish negotiators are trying to obtain their release.
The captors are demanding four million dollars (2.6 million euros) ransom as well as the freeing of two suspected pirates being held in Spain. [/SIZE]
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All parties rally to demand release of Basque fishing boat (eitb)
All Basque political parties rallied on Friday in the Basque coastal town of Bermeo to demand the end of the hijacking of a Basque fishing boat by Somali pirates.
The rally was convened by local representatives from the five Bizkaian towns Bermeo, Mundaka, Ondarroa, Santurtzi and Sestao, where members of the Alakrana crew have their residence.
Members of the Basque Government however did not join the rally as their role "is not to join a momentary rally but to be everyday with the relatives (of the members of the Alakrana crew) and keep on working for the release of the boat", a Basque official said.
Somali pirates overran the tuna boat Alakrana in the Indian Ocean on Oct. 2 and took hostage its multinational crew of 36. The pirates are still in control of the boat from the Basque Country in northern Spain.
The boat had been fishing for tuna 800 miles from the nearest navy escort when it was boarded by pirates. It was the second attack on the Alakrana in less than a month after the captain had to take evasive action to dodge a pirate approach on Sept. 4.
Somali pirate gangs have caused havoc to shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in recent years, emboldened by millions of dollars in ransom payments.
But foreign navies were deployed off the Gulf of Aden at the beginning of the year and have guarded convoys along a transit corridor for merchant ships to pass through vulnerable points.
The number of attacks have fallen in the Gulf of Aden, but pirates now sail further afield into the Indian Ocean where the vast open sea makes it harder to detect their small craft.
Spain has tried to garner support from Somalia's government to free the crew aboard the Alakrana. But the government only controls a small portion of the country, the rest of which is run by breakaway groups and Islamist rebels.
Saward
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Alakrana skipper: 'If the arrested come back, we can go' (eitb)
The skipper of the tuna boat, who showed his concern about the situation of the 3 captured, 2 Galician and 1 Basque, could talk to the Basque public radio station Radio Euskadi.
[SIZE=-1]According to skipper of the Alakrana tuna boat Ricardo Blach, the situation is simple: "If the arrested pirates came back to Somalia, everything would be mended, that's what they want."
Basque public radio station Radio Euskadi could talk with Blach on Thursday afternoon, who showed his concern about the situation of the captured fishermen, 2 Galician and 1 Basque, after the crew were threatened by pirates to hand three selected crew members over to the families of the two pirates currently in prison in Spain.
Spanish Defence minister Carme Chacon said that the central government knows "exactly where the three members of the crew are" and that they are "in good condition."
As Blach stated, the pirates holding the Alakrana are "increasingly nervous. They take drugs, they fight onboard... we don't know what's happening, but they threatened to kill those 3 captured."[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=-1]Open Source Information.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=-1]Saward
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The skipper of the tuna boat, who showed his concern about the situation of the 3 captured, 2 Galician and 1 Basque, could talk to the Basque public radio station Radio Euskadi.
[SIZE=-1]According to skipper of the Alakrana tuna boat Ricardo Blach, the situation is simple: "If the arrested pirates came back to Somalia, everything would be mended, that's what they want."
Basque public radio station Radio Euskadi could talk with Blach on Thursday afternoon, who showed his concern about the situation of the captured fishermen, 2 Galician and 1 Basque, after the crew were threatened by pirates to hand three selected crew members over to the families of the two pirates currently in prison in Spain.
Spanish Defence minister Carme Chacon said that the central government knows "exactly where the three members of the crew are" and that they are "in good condition."
As Blach stated, the pirates holding the Alakrana are "increasingly nervous. They take drugs, they fight onboard... we don't know what's happening, but they threatened to kill those 3 captured."[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=-1]Open Source Information.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=-1]Saward
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[h1]Spain resists deal with pirates [/h1]
A Spanish frigate captured two Somalis after they left the hijacked Alakrana
Spain says it will not negotiate over two Somalis held on piracy charges, despite pleas from the relatives of Spaniards held hostage in Somalia. "The situation is not negotiable," Spain's Deputy Defence Minister Constantino Mendez said.
Somali pirates have threatened to kill three crew members from the Spanish trawler Alakrana unless Spain frees the two captive Somalis, reports say.
The sailors' families urged Spain to do so, to get the ship and its crew freed.
In all, more than 30 sailors from various countries are reported to be held by the pirates - all but three of them still aboard the Alakrana, a tuna ship hijacked in the Indian Ocean on 2 October.
Three were taken ashore on Thursday and the pirates threatened to kill them within three days unless Spain released the two Somali prisoners, the Alakrana's captain told Spanish media by phone.
The Alakrana was hijacked on 2 October in the Indian Ocean
A Spanish frigate captured the two Somalis after they left the hijacked Alakrana.
Mr Mendez appeared to leave open the possibility of transferring the two to another jurisdiction, while ruling out releasing them.
"One can discuss issues of jurisdiction at length. They have many angles and the law is not mathematics," he said.
"We shouldn't rule anything out," he added, implying that a military operation to free the crew was also possible, though the families have urged Spain to avoid that. Two frigates are reported to be watching the Alakrana.
A Spanish judge has charged the two Somalis with illegal detention, criminal association and armed robbery.
The Alakrana is moored off the Somali port town of Harardere, the hub of piracy in the region.
The families have called a "solidarity" meeting for Saturday in Bermeo, in the Basque Country, to put pressure on the Spanish government.
The Basque regional leader (lehendakari), Patxi Lopez, called on Madrid to study the possibility of handing over the two Somalis to judicial authorities in Somalia or neighbouring Kenya.
Last year, the crew of another Spanish boat was freed by pirates in the same area after a ransom of a reported $1.2m (£750,000) was paid, according to Somali officials.
Saward
Spain says it will not negotiate over two Somalis held on piracy charges, despite pleas from the relatives of Spaniards held hostage in Somalia. "The situation is not negotiable," Spain's Deputy Defence Minister Constantino Mendez said.
Somali pirates have threatened to kill three crew members from the Spanish trawler Alakrana unless Spain frees the two captive Somalis, reports say.
The sailors' families urged Spain to do so, to get the ship and its crew freed.
In all, more than 30 sailors from various countries are reported to be held by the pirates - all but three of them still aboard the Alakrana, a tuna ship hijacked in the Indian Ocean on 2 October.
Three were taken ashore on Thursday and the pirates threatened to kill them within three days unless Spain released the two Somali prisoners, the Alakrana's captain told Spanish media by phone.
A Spanish frigate captured the two Somalis after they left the hijacked Alakrana.
Mr Mendez appeared to leave open the possibility of transferring the two to another jurisdiction, while ruling out releasing them.
"One can discuss issues of jurisdiction at length. They have many angles and the law is not mathematics," he said.
"We shouldn't rule anything out," he added, implying that a military operation to free the crew was also possible, though the families have urged Spain to avoid that. Two frigates are reported to be watching the Alakrana.
A Spanish judge has charged the two Somalis with illegal detention, criminal association and armed robbery.
The Alakrana is moored off the Somali port town of Harardere, the hub of piracy in the region.
The families have called a "solidarity" meeting for Saturday in Bermeo, in the Basque Country, to put pressure on the Spanish government.
The Basque regional leader (lehendakari), Patxi Lopez, called on Madrid to study the possibility of handing over the two Somalis to judicial authorities in Somalia or neighbouring Kenya.
Last year, the crew of another Spanish boat was freed by pirates in the same area after a ransom of a reported $1.2m (£750,000) was paid, according to Somali officials.
Saward
polarserv international
Security Directors
Abdu willy poner en libertad!!!!
Give him his freedom and he'll be selling drugsand dodgy DVD's on the "Ramblas" within a week!
Give him his freedom and he'll be selling drugsand dodgy DVD's on the "Ramblas" within a week!
polarserv international
Security Directors
Clapped in irons and to the gibbet with him........Arrggh.
Can't stomach tuna fish anyway.............more of a whale blubber man meself.
Can't stomach tuna fish anyway.............more of a whale blubber man meself.
3 seamen from 'Alakrana' back onboard, govmt says (eitb)
[SIZE=-1]3 seamen from 'Alakrana' returned and back onboard, Moratinos says. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]As confirmed by the Somali PM to Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Ãngel Moratinos, the three men 'are OK'.
"Despite the complexity, the Somali PM has confirmed the move to me and to the Spanish ambassador in Nairobi."
This was the statement of Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos, who on Friday afternoon said the three captive crew members taken from the trawler had returned to Alakrana.
The Spanish minister assured that the Somali PM Ali Sharmarke Abdirashid Omar informed the Spanish ambassador in Kenya, Nicolás MartÃn Cinto, about the fact that the three crew members --who according to Moratinos are "in good condition"-- had been returned.
Tension
Somali pirates had threatened to kill three captive crew members from the Basque fishing vessel Alakrana if two suspected pirates being held in Spain were not freed, a senior officer aboard the vessel said on Friday.
The Spanish navy captured two Somalis in the Indian Ocean shortly after pirates overran the tuna boat Alakrana on Oct. 2 and took its 36 crew hostage. The two suspects are set to face trial in Spain on kidnapping and other charges.
Somali pirates have said previously they will not negotiate a ransom for the release of the Alakrana until their two colleagues have been freed by the Spanish authorities.
"They have taken three of our crew and have given a deadline of two days," the Alakrana's first mate, Ricardo Blach, told Basque radio by telephone from the captured ship. "If in two days there are no signs that those two Somalis are being sent back here, they are going to kill them (the three crew members) and immediately take another three hostages. This is a lottery," Blach said.
Open Source Information[/SIZE]
Saward
[SIZE=-1]3 seamen from 'Alakrana' returned and back onboard, Moratinos says. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]As confirmed by the Somali PM to Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Ãngel Moratinos, the three men 'are OK'.
"Despite the complexity, the Somali PM has confirmed the move to me and to the Spanish ambassador in Nairobi."
This was the statement of Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos, who on Friday afternoon said the three captive crew members taken from the trawler had returned to Alakrana.
The Spanish minister assured that the Somali PM Ali Sharmarke Abdirashid Omar informed the Spanish ambassador in Kenya, Nicolás MartÃn Cinto, about the fact that the three crew members --who according to Moratinos are "in good condition"-- had been returned.
Tension
Somali pirates had threatened to kill three captive crew members from the Basque fishing vessel Alakrana if two suspected pirates being held in Spain were not freed, a senior officer aboard the vessel said on Friday.
The Spanish navy captured two Somalis in the Indian Ocean shortly after pirates overran the tuna boat Alakrana on Oct. 2 and took its 36 crew hostage. The two suspects are set to face trial in Spain on kidnapping and other charges.
Somali pirates have said previously they will not negotiate a ransom for the release of the Alakrana until their two colleagues have been freed by the Spanish authorities.
"They have taken three of our crew and have given a deadline of two days," the Alakrana's first mate, Ricardo Blach, told Basque radio by telephone from the captured ship. "If in two days there are no signs that those two Somalis are being sent back here, they are going to kill them (the three crew members) and immediately take another three hostages. This is a lottery," Blach said.
Open Source Information[/SIZE]
Saward
Eight Indonesians on ship hijacked by pirates (ANTARA News)
As many as eight Indonesians were amomg the crew of the Spanish-flagged ship, Alakarana, which was reported hijacked by pirates in Somalian waters.
Three of the eight Indonesians, namely Nur Rohim (31), Jamroni (35) and Ahmad Rofik (31), hailed from Batang district, Central Java.
Information about the eight Indonesians` fate was received from the wife of one of them in Batang district. She said her husband had contacted her from inside the hijacked ship, Nur Untung Slamet, a community figure in Batang, said here on Friday.
"The families of the three sailors hailing from Batang have expressed their concern about the piracy act and the safety of their relatives trapped in the ship. We expect the Batang administration to be ready to help rescue them," Nur said.
Nur explained the uncertain fate of the three Batang men had thrown their families into panic, adding he would check whether any progress was made negotiations between the pirates and the Jakarta-based company owning the Alakarana.
"The families of the Indonesians on the hijacked ship are worried that efforts to free the hostages will take a long time because the pirates had demanded a lot of ransom money," said Nur.
One of the Indonesians` wife, Nur Faidah, stated her husband had called her saying the ship on which he and his colleagues had been working had been hijacked in Somali waters.
"My husband called me last October 5 through his cellular phone saying that their ship was hijacked," said Nur Faidah.
Before, Nur Faidah explained, her husband along with Jamroni and Ahmad Rofik had registered themselves to work as ship crew in PT Budi Agung Binatara, South Jakarta. All three were then put in Spanish flagged ship Alakarana at June 22, 2009, along with five other Indonesian.
The woman added hijackers were demanding Rp100 billion ransom money. However, she added, the company owned Alakarana ship had stated they can only pay for Rp50 billion. Up till now, the proposal is yet to be confirmed.
"We expect related parties can help repatriation process of my husband and other Indonesian in the ship," added Nur Faidah.
Open Source Information.
Saward
As many as eight Indonesians were amomg the crew of the Spanish-flagged ship, Alakarana, which was reported hijacked by pirates in Somalian waters.
Three of the eight Indonesians, namely Nur Rohim (31), Jamroni (35) and Ahmad Rofik (31), hailed from Batang district, Central Java.
Information about the eight Indonesians` fate was received from the wife of one of them in Batang district. She said her husband had contacted her from inside the hijacked ship, Nur Untung Slamet, a community figure in Batang, said here on Friday.
"The families of the three sailors hailing from Batang have expressed their concern about the piracy act and the safety of their relatives trapped in the ship. We expect the Batang administration to be ready to help rescue them," Nur said.
Nur explained the uncertain fate of the three Batang men had thrown their families into panic, adding he would check whether any progress was made negotiations between the pirates and the Jakarta-based company owning the Alakarana.
"The families of the Indonesians on the hijacked ship are worried that efforts to free the hostages will take a long time because the pirates had demanded a lot of ransom money," said Nur.
One of the Indonesians` wife, Nur Faidah, stated her husband had called her saying the ship on which he and his colleagues had been working had been hijacked in Somali waters.
"My husband called me last October 5 through his cellular phone saying that their ship was hijacked," said Nur Faidah.
Before, Nur Faidah explained, her husband along with Jamroni and Ahmad Rofik had registered themselves to work as ship crew in PT Budi Agung Binatara, South Jakarta. All three were then put in Spanish flagged ship Alakarana at June 22, 2009, along with five other Indonesian.
The woman added hijackers were demanding Rp100 billion ransom money. However, she added, the company owned Alakarana ship had stated they can only pay for Rp50 billion. Up till now, the proposal is yet to be confirmed.
"We expect related parties can help repatriation process of my husband and other Indonesian in the ship," added Nur Faidah.
Open Source Information.
Saward
With President Zapatero and his "Alliance of civilizations"?
I find it very very difficult.
The president should not watch his countrymen and tax payers to be slaughtered and doing nothing; it is not civilized.
Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre
Security Directors
they rejected offer of 2 million euros yesterday....... standby for a bit of an escalation...! Wait out!
Just heard an interview by telephone on Canal+ TV. The captain Ricardo Blach being interviewed. It would make your hair stand on end listening to the conditions aboard. They are now out of water. The pirates "respect nothing" and leave watertaps flowing. Captain and fishing captain are separated from the crew and have little info on their condition, food is brought to them on the bridge by the ships steward but they are forbidden to talk to him, they suspect it is quite bad below decks.
Reports - Financial deal agreed with the 'Alakrana' pirates
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By h.b. - Nov 7, 2009 - 11:07 AM
However the pirates are continuing to demand the return of their two colleagues who have been captured and imprisoned in Madrid
El PaÃs reports Saturday that the Somali pirates who kidnapped the Basque tuna fishing boat ‘Alakrana’ and her crew of 36 more than a month ago, have now returned the three crew members they had previously taken to shore back to the boat.
On Friday the families of the captives held a press conference demanding the release of the two captured pirates who have been sent to prison by the National Court in Madrid. They were reports that the Spanish Government had been given three days to do a deal, or the hostages would start to be killed.
El PaÃs reports that a three million $ ransom had been agreed to be paid and the only problem was the return of the two captured pirates.
However the Spanish Government can do little as the future of the pirates is in the hands of the National Court and all reports indicate that neither the prosecutor or judge in the case see any possibilities of them being released.
There are reports that the Government considers blocking the ports used by the pirates as a possible next step against them, considering the current patrols by air and sea as insufficient.
Spanish media yesterday.
Saward
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By h.b. - Nov 7, 2009 - 11:07 AM
The families of the trawler 'Alakrana' in a press conference on Friday - EFE
However the pirates are continuing to demand the return of their two colleagues who have been captured and imprisoned in Madrid
El PaÃs reports Saturday that the Somali pirates who kidnapped the Basque tuna fishing boat ‘Alakrana’ and her crew of 36 more than a month ago, have now returned the three crew members they had previously taken to shore back to the boat.
On Friday the families of the captives held a press conference demanding the release of the two captured pirates who have been sent to prison by the National Court in Madrid. They were reports that the Spanish Government had been given three days to do a deal, or the hostages would start to be killed.
El PaÃs reports that a three million $ ransom had been agreed to be paid and the only problem was the return of the two captured pirates.
However the Spanish Government can do little as the future of the pirates is in the hands of the National Court and all reports indicate that neither the prosecutor or judge in the case see any possibilities of them being released.
There are reports that the Government considers blocking the ports used by the pirates as a possible next step against them, considering the current patrols by air and sea as insufficient.
Spanish media yesterday.
Saward
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Somalia Sees End to Spain Hostage Crisis in 3 weeks[/FONT]Posted 9,Nov. 2009[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Somalia's government expects a settlement in about three weeks with pirates holding hostage 36 crew of a Spanish fishing vessel, a source close to the Somali prime minister said on Sunday.
"The government of Spain is facing mounting pressure from its people and wants an end to this hostage crisis very quickly," the source told Reuters.
"But the situation on the ground is tough. It may take two to three weeks to secure the freedom of its nationals."
The source spoke after a meeting between the Spanish envoy to Kenya and Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke in the Kenyan capital. A second meeting is to be held on Monday to work out a strategy for freeing the hostages, the source added.
A pirate who identified himself as Mohamed told Reuters by phone that three Spanish sailors were still being held ashore in Somalia after being taken there from their tuna fishing vessel, the Alakrana, where the rest of the crew remain. The ship is moored off the pirates' enclave of Haradheere.
The pirate, who said he was on board the Alakrana, said the three would be returned to the craft only when two alleged pirates being held in Spain were freed.
He said Madrid should negotiate directly with the pirates, rather than trying to deal with the Somali government.
But in Madrid, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he believed the entire crew of 36 were on the Alakrana.
"All our reliable sources, our (intelligence) services, tell us they are all on board," he told a news conference.
SUSPECTED PIRATES CAPTURED
The Spanish navy captured two Somalis in the Indian Ocean shortly after pirates seized the Alakrana on October 2. They are set to face trial in Spain on kidnapping and other charges.
Moratinos said Spain was directing its diplomatic efforts at authorities in Mogadishu.
"The Somali government has to guarantee the security and integrity of all the crew," he said. "With this greater diplomatic effort, we think we can get results quicker."
In a statement late on Sunday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said Sharmarke had assured the Spanish envoy that "according to the information he has, all the crew of the Alakrana are fine".
But Mohamed said Madrid had to deal directly with the pirates, not Sharmarke, whose government holds little or no sway in the bulk of Somali territory.
"This has nothing to do with Sharmarke, it concerns parents and missing sons," Abdulahi Abdisalan, an uncle of one of the pirates held in Spain, told Reuters.
"Even if a ransom is paid, whatever amount, we will not release (the hostages) unless we get our sons back to Haradheere."
Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenya-based East Africa Seafarers Association, also told Reuters the latest information he had indicated that three of the Spanish were being held onshore.
The crew include sailors from Spain, the Seychelles, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Senegal.
The Alakrana's first mate, Ricardo Blach, told Spanish television by phone that the captain had been separated from the rest of the crew early on, and that he did not know whether all the crew were on board.
Moratinos said the Alakrana's crew had food and water, but Blach said they had been without water since Saturday.
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"The government of Spain is facing mounting pressure from its people and wants an end to this hostage crisis very quickly," the source told Reuters.
"But the situation on the ground is tough. It may take two to three weeks to secure the freedom of its nationals."
The source spoke after a meeting between the Spanish envoy to Kenya and Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke in the Kenyan capital. A second meeting is to be held on Monday to work out a strategy for freeing the hostages, the source added.
A pirate who identified himself as Mohamed told Reuters by phone that three Spanish sailors were still being held ashore in Somalia after being taken there from their tuna fishing vessel, the Alakrana, where the rest of the crew remain. The ship is moored off the pirates' enclave of Haradheere.
The pirate, who said he was on board the Alakrana, said the three would be returned to the craft only when two alleged pirates being held in Spain were freed.
He said Madrid should negotiate directly with the pirates, rather than trying to deal with the Somali government.
But in Madrid, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he believed the entire crew of 36 were on the Alakrana.
"All our reliable sources, our (intelligence) services, tell us they are all on board," he told a news conference.
SUSPECTED PIRATES CAPTURED
The Spanish navy captured two Somalis in the Indian Ocean shortly after pirates seized the Alakrana on October 2. They are set to face trial in Spain on kidnapping and other charges.
Moratinos said Spain was directing its diplomatic efforts at authorities in Mogadishu.
"The Somali government has to guarantee the security and integrity of all the crew," he said. "With this greater diplomatic effort, we think we can get results quicker."
In a statement late on Sunday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said Sharmarke had assured the Spanish envoy that "according to the information he has, all the crew of the Alakrana are fine".
But Mohamed said Madrid had to deal directly with the pirates, not Sharmarke, whose government holds little or no sway in the bulk of Somali territory.
"This has nothing to do with Sharmarke, it concerns parents and missing sons," Abdulahi Abdisalan, an uncle of one of the pirates held in Spain, told Reuters.
"Even if a ransom is paid, whatever amount, we will not release (the hostages) unless we get our sons back to Haradheere."
Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenya-based East Africa Seafarers Association, also told Reuters the latest information he had indicated that three of the Spanish were being held onshore.
The crew include sailors from Spain, the Seychelles, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Senegal.
The Alakrana's first mate, Ricardo Blach, told Spanish television by phone that the captain had been separated from the rest of the crew early on, and that he did not know whether all the crew were on board.
Moratinos said the Alakrana's crew had food and water, but Blach said they had been without water since Saturday.
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FV ALAKRANA CASE IS ESCALATING ON ALL SIDES
While in Spain thousands demonstrated and demanded from the Spanish government a fast and peaceful solution of the hostage crisis, by returning two Somali captives to Somalia from Spain and cutting a deal with the pirates to release the ship, The Spanish government has reportedly pulled out its two frigates from EU NAVFOR in order to be independent from the overall supervision and command. The captors of the Spanish purse-seiners have meanwhile used Spanish sailors as human shields to shuttle between the ship and the land and fired one of the Spanish warships, which came to close.
A financial offer by Spain has meanwhile been refused as being too low and the demand to bring the two Somalis imprisoned in Spain back to their comrades near Harardheere - and nowhere else - has been insisted on.
Open Source Information.
Saward
While in Spain thousands demonstrated and demanded from the Spanish government a fast and peaceful solution of the hostage crisis, by returning two Somali captives to Somalia from Spain and cutting a deal with the pirates to release the ship, The Spanish government has reportedly pulled out its two frigates from EU NAVFOR in order to be independent from the overall supervision and command. The captors of the Spanish purse-seiners have meanwhile used Spanish sailors as human shields to shuttle between the ship and the land and fired one of the Spanish warships, which came to close.
A financial offer by Spain has meanwhile been refused as being too low and the demand to bring the two Somalis imprisoned in Spain back to their comrades near Harardheere - and nowhere else - has been insisted on.
Open Source Information.
Saward