17 March 2011, 19:00
Release of the Georgian sailors from Somali prison deferred until the end of March
Release of 15 Georgian sailors who have been staying in Somali pirates' prison over six months was deferred until the end of March "for technical and organizational reasons", Sergo Devadze, one of the sailors' father, Manager of "Greenwich-21" company, informed.
"Caucasian Knot" has formerly reported that on February, 7, the Greek ship owner company promised that the captured Georgian sailors would be released at the end of February. At the end of February Sergo Devadze reported that the Georgian sailors' release was deferred for ten days but the date of the sailors' release is currently postponed again.
"We expect all the questions to be solved until the end of March and the hostages to be set free", Devadze said.
The captured sailor's father added that after negotiations on buyout between the ship owner and the captor recommenced the pirates' attitude towards the prisoners changed and they started receiving food and water every day, "Novosti-Georgia" reports.
"The main thing is that the crew's state of health is satisfactory taking into account the conditions in which they have been living already over six months", Devadze remarked adding that the sailors would need significant rehabilitation after release.
According to unofficial data, in February the Georgian Government agreed to pay off part of the buyout but the negotiations went on longer than expected. Then on March, 13, a group of Somali pirates declared that they were reducing the buyout sum by 20% for the negotiations with the ship owner to go faster, "Georgia-Online" reports.
It should be reminded that the pirates demanded the buyout to the sum of one million dollars and the ship owner was only ready to pay 150 thousand.
