Captain of hijacked ship contacts Singapore: Ministry

The captain of the hijacked MT Gemini cargo vessel has contacted the ship's owner in Singapore, confirming that the 25 crew on board are all well, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Friday.

Ministry spokesman Michael Tene said the ship's captain had made contact with Glory Ship Management Pte. Ltd. shipping company on Tuesday. Tene said the captain had informed the company of the condition of his crew.

“They were treated well enough,” Tene said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

“They were being fed twice a day,” he added.

The MT Gemini was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, from Indonesia, laden with more than 28,000 tons of crude palm oil, when it was hijacked by Somali pirates.

Thirteen Indonesian crewmen are among those taken hostage by the pirates.

Tene said the Foreign Ministry was “continuing to make efforts for their release”. But he added that securing the release of the captive sailors might take a long time.

“Besides, this is a foreign ship and its crew comprises citizens of several countries,” he said.

Tene declined to reveal the pirates' demands.