T

he 46-day hostage ordeal for 20 Indonesian sailors held in Somali waters has ended with the payment of a ransom to their captors and the release of all hostages on board the captured vessel.

The 20-strong crew of the MV Sinar Kudus were immediately taken to the nearest port in Salalah, Oman, on Sunday afternoon after the Somali pirates who took them hostage left the cargo ship with the ransom money.

“The crew members are safe. They are on their way to the nearest port and are receiving medical help,” Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Rear Adm. Iskandar Sitompul said here Sunday.

He said the Indonesian Navy — which had been sent to the area earlier — was escorting the Sinar Kudus and that a doctor had been sent on board the ship to examine the crew.

Publicly listed PT Samudera Indonesia, the owner of the ship, said a ransom was paid to the pirates who attacked the ship on March 16 when it was sailing towards the Aden Gulf, carrying 8,300 tons of ferronickel worth an estimated Rp 1.5 trillion (US$174.42 million).

Samudera Indonesia vice president director David Batubara said the cargo was untouched. However, he refused to disclose the amount paid to the pirates.

On early Sunday, Reuters quoted the Somali pirates who said Samudera Indonesia airdropped US$4.5 million to them, after which they abandoned the Sinar Kudus.

David disputed the report. “We can’t disclose the sum [of the paid ransom]. But the reported amount was definitely inaccurate.”

He said the company was tight-lipped on the amount as there remained other Indonesian hostages on board other ships and disclosing the ransom paid would put their safety at risk.

“We communicated intensively with the pirates, up to 24 hours a day. They know everything the Indonesian media reports. That’s why we and the government chose not to be too open to the media,” David said.

There are estimated to be more than 40 vessels and more than 600 sailors from various countries
currently held hostage by pirates off Somali waters. International shipping has long faced growing threats from Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

Iskandar said the Sinar Kudus would complete its journey to Rotterdam after docking at Salalah for repairs and a new crew of 20 sailors.

The nation, he added, should be proud of the government’s work in rescuing the crew. “No other
nation has succeeded in saving men held hostage at sea in less than 150 days. We managed to do it in 46 days.”

Iskandar said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led a Cabinet meeting on March 18 to discuss rescue options, and by March 23 the Indonesian Navy had deployed vessels to monitor the ship’s situation.

“We sent three ships, one aircraft and one helicopter. We also sent in elite forces. In total, we had 800 soldiers deployed, including 300 special forces troops.”

However, Iskandar said the government chose not to take a military option as it could have placed the hostages in danger. “The Association of Trade Ship Captains and the families of the men preferred to negotiate,” he added. (awd)

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