Reem Leila reports on the spate of piracy in the Gulf of Aden involving ships with Egyptian crew members Somali pirates freed the MV Syria Star two days after it was seized on 5 August. The cargo ship, which was carrying sugar, was sailing under a Saint Vincent and Grenadines' flag. It was boarded by the pirates while sailing in international waters off the Gulf of Aden. Two of the ship's 26 crew members -- 22 Syrians and four Egyptians -- were injured during the hijack. Immediately after the ship's release, Abdel-Latif Sabra, one of the Syrian owners of MV Syria Star, told the press the vessel had resumed its journey to Port-Sudan, where it docked on 8 August. He refused to say if a ransom had been paid, providing few details beyond the fact that the two injured crew members had received medical aid. MV Syria Star was the second ship to be hijacked in a week. On 2 August Somali pirates captured MV Suez, a Panamanian registered ship belonging to the Red Sea Navigation Company. It, too, was boarded in international waters off the Gulf of Aden. The current whereabouts of the ship, which has 11 Egyptians among its crew, is unknown. Mohamed Abdel-Meguid, commercial director of the Red Sea Navigation Company, said the owners were ready to pay a reasonable ransom. "Unfortunately, channels of communication with the Somali hijackers have been cut," says Abdel-Meguid. This is a tactic the pirates often use to exert pressure on the owners of ships to accept their conditions." The MV Suez, which was carrying cement, was heading from Pakistan to Eritrea. Initial attempts to contact the vessel failed. Mohamed Matar, deputy chairman of the Red Sea Navigation Company, says efforts to free the MV Suez as soon as possible are being coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Parallel efforts are being made with security forces and trade leaders in Somalia to ensure the captured ship is supplied with food and medicine." Tarek Saleh, the brother of one of the kidnapped crew, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the company had refused to mediate with the pirates. "The owners refused to take any action, saying it is up to the government to negotiate with the pirates." Hossam Zaki, official spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, says the Egyptian government is consulting with its envoys in Somalia on how to secure the safety of the ship and its crew. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, "the MV Suez reported being under attack and a few minutes later reported pirates on board. A helicopter was dispatched to the scene immediately, but the pirates had already taken over command of the vessel." The Egyptian mission in Somalia is in contact with the Somali authorities and "the ministry in Cairo is pursuing contacts with all concerned authorities in an attempt to locate and save the ship," says Zaki. Foreign naval powers have dispersed dozens of warships since 2008 in an attempt to secure the sea routes leading to the Suez Canal through which tens of thousands of vessels pass each year. According to a European anti-piracy agency the pirates have extended their area of operations, capturing ships as far east as the Maldives and as far south as Mozambique. Naval missions, including the European Union's Atlanta deployment, launched late last year, claim some success in curbing attacks. Uncorroborated figures published in the media suggest that 2009 was the most fruitful year for Somali pirates, who exacted ransoms believed to exceed $50 million.
