Europe

Home page

Europe

Danish town raises ransom money for pirates’ hostages

03 March 2011 01:53 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A Danish town was Wednesday collecting funds to pay for a possible ransom demand from pirates who have kidnapped a family that was yachting off the Somali coast, APA reports quoting â€œMonsters and Criticsâ€.
The yacht with seven Danish nationals, including three children aged between 13 and 17, was last heard from on Thursday, when the crew issued a distress call.
The family of five and two other adults were on a world tour, having set off from Denmark in August 2009.
In their home town Kalundborg, west of Copenhagen, family and friends have started to raise funds for a ransom.
’We know the government will not pay a ransom and want to contribute a portion,’ a neighbour was quoted as telling the Politiken newspaper.
Experts said that although paying a ransom could fuel more kidnappings, it was the only viable option to secure their release.
Newspapers recounted how a British couple were freed last year after being held for 388 days after their yacht was seized off the Seychelles.
Questions about the Danish family’s choice of route have also been raised by some experts. Insurer Europaeiske Rejseforsikring said it did not offer insurance for that area to private customers since it was too dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Danish Shipowners’ Association said it supported an international campaign calling for a tougher stance against piracy.
The campaign, Save Our Seafarers (SOS), said that more than 800 crew members were held hostage by Somali pirates.
A growing number of Danish ship owners were considering deploying armed guards on vessels using routes off Somalia, said Jan Fritz Hansen of the Danish Shipowners’ Association.
Denmark on Tuesday urged recreational sailors to avoid the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the north-western section of the Indian Ocean due to the risk of pirates.