Somali pirates free Pakistani ship after a month: all crewmen are safe

The Somali pirates have freed the Pakistani-flagged fishing boat, which was hijacked on December 6 last year, along with its 29 crew unharmed, Business Recorder learnt on Tuesday.
Quoting some "unconfirmed" reports, officials in the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) told Business Recorder that the fishing boat, "Shahzaib" or "Shahbaig", which is registered with Balochistan Fisheries Department (BFD), has been set free by the pirates on Saturday.
They, however, said the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which had informed government of Pakistan about the kidnapping of the ship, had not confirmed the report.
"We have no official information about the release of the boat... the International Maritime Bureau in Malaysia also does not confirm the reports," Director General Ports and Shipping Rear Admiral Syed Afzal (Retd) told Business Recorder.
Citing media reports, an MMD official said the Somali pirates had released the boat and its 29 Pakistani crew on January 2, 2010 some 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles, an island republic in the Indian Ocean. "It is a good news," said Tariq Sardar, Principle Officer MMD.
He said the hijackers had seized "Shazaib", owned by Akbar Khan of Pasni, for using it as a "mother ship" from which it was easier for them to launch small and faster skiffs in a bid to capture a United Kingdom-flagged ship carrying some 2,300 vehicles. "Earlier, we had unconfirmed reports that two of the crewmen were killed, but the latest information reveals that only one fisherman has got his leg broken while others are safe," he added.
The official said MMD was in contact with the officials of IMB in Kuala Lumpur and would also mail to the Foreign Office on Wednesday (today) to ensure safe retrieval of the crew. DG Ports and Shipping, Admiral Afzal (Retd) said the IMB has been requested to inform his office after authenticating the reports.
Sardar opined that in view of the reports that a French frigate, FS Surcouf, had taken the crew aboard and was providing them with the First Aid besides food and fuel, an emergency rescue operation may not be required to retrieve the fishermen.
"After getting the food and fuel the boat is likely to continue its normal voyage on its way back home and no rescue operation would be required for their retrieval," he said adding, "only the sick person would have to be retrieved."