VietNamNet Bridge - By January 23 afternoon, relatives of the 24 Vietnamese fishermen seized by Somali pirates on January 17 off Oman seas have yet to receive information about the hostages except for one secret email sent by a captured captain.

The sailors were working on the Vietnamese-owned MV Hoang Son Sun vessel when it was captured by the pirates.

However, according to the ship-owner (Hoang Son Company in Thanh Hoa province), the captured ship captain Dinh Tat Thang somehow managed to clandestinely send it an email saying that all sailors are in safe condition and the ship has been moved to a Somalia port.

Apart from that, Hoang Son Company has not received any other information.

Bui Viet Tung, son of chief mechanic Bui Thai Hung, one of hostages, is angry that the company has not made any contact with the pirates.

“If Hoang Son Company is not committed to the case, our family will go to Hai Phong northern city to seek more information on my father’s situation”.

On the same day, Hoang Son – deputy director of Hoang Son – told Tuoi Tre the company is working with a UK-based firm specialized in negotiating all things related to hostage and pirates to rescue the victims.

“The ransom is estimated to hit US$5 million,” he added.

He said that the vessel itself is insured but that the staff and goods on the ship have no insurance.

Both the ship-owner and the victims’ relatives hoped they will receive support and assistance from the local government.

“We cannot afford the ransom, so we need the support from the government and the insurance company to pay a high ransom [upon demand],” Son said.

Nguyen Duy Thien, Vietnamese ambassador to Tanzania and Somali and some their neighboring countries spoke to Tuoi Tre over the phone that the embassy in coordination with the Somali embassy in Tanzania has asked the Somalian government to rescue the ship and its 24 sailors.

“But we have yet to receive any feedback from them so far,” he added.

“They have pledged to gather information to handle this case,” he said.

He added that Vietnam will work with various forces and agencies, and even put pressure on the international community to rescue the ship and its sailors.

Paddy O’s Kennedy, spokesman of EU NAVFOR, told Tuoi Tre via email that if the ship is captured by Somalia pirates, it would be moved to a Somali coast where the ship-owner and insurance company will be asked to have a negotiation with the pirates.

“However, we have yet to receive an updated info about the case so far,” he said.

Reuters quoted EU Navfor as saying the pirates hijacked the ship about 520 nautical miles southeast of the port of Muscat.

EU Navfor reported the ship was not registered with the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa, and had not reported to the UK Maritime Trade Operation. Both help vessels keep contact with a flotilla of warships patrolling the lucrative waters linking Europe with Asia.

Source: Tuoi Tre