Somali Pirates Give Saudi Arabian Tanker Owners 10 Days To Come Up With $25 Million Ransom

November 20, 2008 11:27 a.m. EST

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AHN) - Somali pirates gave owners of the Saudi Arabian oil tanker Sinus Star 10 days to come up with a $25 million ransom for the 25-member crew.

If the owners will fail to meet the demand, one of the pirates, Mohammed Said, who spoke using a satellite phone from the ship, threatened disastrous results.

Aside from the lives of the crew which are under threat, the Somali takeover of the oil tanker could result in an environmental catastrophe since the pirates could release the two million barrels of crude oil into the Red Sea.

Shipowner Vela International Marine, which is controlled by the Saudi Arabian royal family, refused to comment on the ransom demand, according to a company spokesman.

The pirating incident led to an emergency crisis meeting of senior officials from nations surrounding the Red Sea, namely Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. The gathering is being held at Cairo, Egypt.

The 25-member crew is made up of 19 Filipinos, two Britons, two Poles, one Croatian and one Saudi national.