No ransom has been demanded for the release of nine Sri Lankan sailors detained at a port near the border of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Harsha de Silva said.
“As per the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oman and the Consul General in Dubai, the shipping company has not received any ransom by any party to release the crew,” he told Parliament today.
He was responding to a question raised by Joint Opposition Leader MP Dinesh Gunawardane under Standing Order 23(2).
The government is taking every possible measure to rescue the nine Sri Lankan sailors, the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister said.
Minister Harsha de Silva said the sailors had been detained over a commercial dispute between the cargo receiver in the Port of Hodeidah and the cargo supplier – the Keystone Oil and Gas Company.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also said that Sri Lanka has sought Indian assistance to secure the release of the sailors, since the sailors were working for an Indian company.
The nine sailors - L.A.P.Silva, L.Bulegoda, K.D.U.C.Premaratne, A.C.P.Premaratne, K.S.S.Ratnayake, C.A.A.Antony, A.I.P.Bandara, A.Rohan and V.W.D.S.Dharshana - were captured nearly two months ago and are currently aboard a Greek vessel ‘Fair Appollon,’ moored at the Port of Hodeidah, an area that the Yemeni government does not control.
The Deputy Foreign Minister said rescue operations have been delayed due to communication difficulties prevailing in this area, because of the control of Yemeni pirates.
Family members of the nine sailors said the shipping company had not paid the salaries of these sailors either, and that as a result, the family members were facing more difficulties.
The Deputy Minister said the Merchant Shipping Secretariat and the Foreign Affairs Ministry should jointly take measures to negotiate the release of these sailors: “On the directions of Sri Lankan Embassy, officials in Oman and the Dubai Consulate are working with the owners of the Greek ship Fair Appollon to rescue these nine Sri Lankan sailors.
With the intervention of the Embassy and the Consul General in Dubai the Shipping Company has already taken measures to provide fuel, food, and water without any shortage,” the Deputy Minister said.