By banadir.com on May 30 2006,
As Dubai based Newspaper (KHALEEJ TIMES) reported on April 27, that a Ransom of $650.000 was paid to save a hijacked tanker San Carlo and its 25-man crew. And according to the newspaper, the tanker is owned by Greek brothers but flies Maltese flag of convenience.
According to sources in Somalia, the so called pirates ordered the captain of the ship to turn the tanker around and head toward the coastal town of Eyl and ordered to pay a ransom of $1,000,000 in cash.
Although the tanker was registered in Norway and used by Texaco and other oil companies until it was purchased by Trinity Navigation in June 2003 for $2.2 million according to the Khaleej Times report. However, enquiries by the Khaleej Times also reveal that all three companies share the same address, phone and fax numbers in Piraeus.
And that is not the end of the story. One disturbing irony that bugs us is that two shadowy characters who claimed to be British lawyers/Intermediaries and refused to give their names suddenly appeared in the scenario. The representatives of the Tanker telephoned these intermediaries who claimed that they had been appointed by the Greek company to appear before them, to collect and deliver the money.
It appears that the so called Somali pirates had been relegated to the back burner and that the money went direct into the pockets of these shadowy characters who even refused to give their names.
Now the question is why would some one surrender such an amount of cash to people who posing as British Lawyers and Intermediaries, without checking their identity and background when the money should be handed over directly to the so called Pirates ?.
Another questions that bugs us is who provide these modern high-tech speed boats to the Somali Militia who had been living from hand to mouth for 16 years ? .
It seems that either the Militia had been duped by these shadowy thugs or had been hired in the first place by these same people to carry the high sea deadly mission .
It now comes to light that non-Somalis are playing bigger role in this piracy business in our territorial waters.