Singapore: Pacific International Lines has announced that its 1997-built, 1550 teu containership Kota Wajar has been released by the pirates that maintained control of the vessel since it was hijacked en-route to Mombasa on October 15th. According to local news reports, the pirates received a ransom of $4m in order to secure the freedom of the 21 crewmembers onboard the ship.
In a statement to the press, William Tay, executive director of PIL's corporate division said, "PIL is pleased to announce that the mv Kota Wajar, which was hijacked on the 15th October this year, has now been released and is en route to a safe port in East Africa. All the crew are safe and well. As you will understand, this has been a long and frightening ordeal for the crew and their families. Our priority is the safety and welfare of the crew, and therefore the company is sending a party to the next port of call to personally receive the Captain and the crew of the Kota Wajar and to ensure that they receive the best possible care after their ordeal. The crew will be repatriated at the earliest opportunity.
The company would like to thank all the family members of the crew for their support and understanding throughout the detention of the mv Kota Wajar. It is the nature of such hijacking that most of the time the family members were only given limited information. In many ways a hijacking is worse for the families of the crew. We very much appreciate their support to the crew, their faith in the company and their patience.
The company wish to thank our friends and business associates for their patience, understanding, and assistance, during this difficult period.
We also pray for the safe return of other ships and their crew that are still detained by hijackers." [29/12/09]
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