Pakistani activist to meet owners of hijacked ships

Ansar Burney, Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International and Pakistan’s former federal minister for human rights, will reach Dubai tomorrow (Tuesday) evening to meet

the UAE-based owners of the vessels MV Jubba XX and MV Iceberg 1, hijacked by Somali pirates.
Burney told Khaleej Times from London that in the meeting with the owners of the shipping companies, he will urge them to start negotiations with the pirates for the early release of crew members on board.
Burney said that he will also meet the officials of the UAE Government with a request to take action against Somali pirates. At present, little information is available to the Ansar Burney Trust International, but it is reported that nine suspected Somali pirates are on board MV Jubba XX, hijacked earlier this month, he added.
He said that the UAE-owned and flagged 4,831-tonnes deadweight laden oil tanker, MV Jubba XX, was hijacked with 16 crew comprising one Sri Lankan, five Indians, three Bangladeshis, one Sudanese, one Myanmarese (Burmese), one Kenyan and four Somalis.
Panama-flagged roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, MV Iceberg 1, was hijacked in March last year near the Gulf of Aden. Its crew includes nationals from Pakistan, India, Yemen, Ghana, Sudan and the Philippines. There is no information on the condition of the crew and the vessel was not registered with MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa)) at the time of the hijack, according to EU NAVFOR (European Union Naval Force) Public Affairs Office.In his meeting with the owner of MV Iceberg 1, Buney said he would ask to pay the crew’s salaries to their families as well as get involved into negotiations with the pirates for the early and safe release of the crew.
Burney said that the Ansar Burney Trust International already has seven complaints of hijacked vessels with Indians, Pakistanis and other nationals on board.  “We are working hard to stop this menace and to get released all vessels and their crew members safe and secure as soon as possible,” he said. Burney and his trust had played a key role in raising $1.1 million for the release of the MV Suez and its 22-member crew comprising Egyptians, Indians, Pakistanis and a Sri Lankan in June, who were in the custody of Somali pirates for 11 months.
“At present there are more than 40 vessels captured by Somali pirates with over 700 innocent crew-members including those from Pakistan and India on board,” Burney said.
Burney questioned as to where from the pirates are getting sophisticated weapons, which they are using to hijack vessels with crew members on board from open sea while NATO’s war ships are there.
Source: Khaleej Times