Georgian seamen released from captivity in Somalia will return home in a week

The Georgian seamen released from captivity of Somalia pirates will arrive in Georgia not earlier than one week; they need to pass their medical examination in Kenya, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Sergo Devadze, the father of one of the seamen.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 8, 2010, Somalia pirates captured in the Gulf of Aden the oil tanker "Oilb G" sailing under the flag of Malta. The crew included citizens of Georgia and Turkey. The release of hostages was postponed several times.

Yesterday, on January 8, the Georgian intergovernmental delegation held talks in Somalia on release of Georgian seamen. On that day, 15 Georgian seamen, held in captive by Somalia pirates for over a year and three Turkish crew members were released.

However, the seamen will be able to return home only in a week: they have to take their medical examination in Kenya.

Let us remind you that initially pirates claimed 9 million US dollars of ransom from the ship owners for release of the crew. However, the Greek entrepreneurs, who owned the vessel, put a counter-claim: the pirates took the ship and the cargo and released the hostages in return.

According to Sergo Devadze, the cost of the vessel did not exceed 0.5 million US dollars, so the pirates simply rejected the deal. Last spring, the ransom was dropped to 2 million, but in the autumn the pirates posted a video on the Youtube, where they showed the seamen and voiced their new ransom claim - 7.5 million US dollars.

The seamen were released after Somalia was officially visited by Georgiy Karbelashvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, and two officials from the Agency for Maritime Transportation under the National Transport Agency of Georgia.

According to Georgiy Karbelashvili, a military operation had been considered among the options of releasing the seamen - a capture of pirates and release of hostages. "Six months ago it was suggested to conduct a military operation; but the government refused, fearing to put seamen's lives in danger," the TV Company "Imedi" quoted Mr Karbelashvili. "Our small country made a great deal, since 680 European seamen are still held captive by pirates."

Meanwhile, today, the oppositional party "Way of Georgia" has accused President Mikhail Saakashvili of political speculations with regard to captured seamen. "Saakashvili had just paid three million, which is prohibited by the law. But for the sake of seamen he could have circumvented the law 18 months ago, and then nobody would have criticized him. Saakashvili has done it all now for his political PR-campaign. I already imagine the broad-scale meeting ceremony of released seamen staged by Saakashvili in Tbilisi and calling himself their liberator," Mamuka Baliashvili, the head of the youth wing of the "Way of Georgia", said at a briefing.

The Georgian government, in its turn, puts most of the credit for the liberation on international organizations, governments and shipping companies of many countries.