Pirates demand 15 million dollars for release of Georgian and Turkish citizens

The Greek ship-owner company FRIO VENTURES cannot come to an agreement with the Somali pirates about the buy-out sum for the merchant ship on board which there are 15 citizens of Georgia and 3 citizens of Turkey.

"Caucasian Knot" has already informed that in the morning of September, 8, Somali pirates captured "Oilb G" tanker in the Gulf of Aden. On September, 12, the pirates established a contact with the ship-owner. It was also reported that the negotiations were going on in a secret regime.

Sergo Devadze, representative of the company FRIO VENTURES in Georgia, Manager of "Greenwich-21" company whose son is on board the captured ship said today that in the beginning of the negotiations the company offered 75 thousand dollars and was offering 150 thousand dollars at the moment but the pirates did not agree.

"The pirates have demanded 15 million dollars. The previous experience shows that pirates do not release captured ships for less than a million dollars", IA "Novosti-Georgia" quotes what Devadze said.

ITAR-TASS reports that in case of non-fulfilment of their demands, the pirates have promised to put the sailors ashore where nobody would guarantee their security.