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Romanian Pirate-Abducted Sailor Is In Alleged Mortal Danger

The Romanian sailor onboard the ship Rim, which was captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, on February 2, telephonically announced his girlfriend that the pirates are threatening to kill him Friday if the ransom is not paid.
Romanian Pirate-Abducted Sailor Is In Alleged Mortal Danger
26 feb. 2010, 20:47, English

The girlfriend of sailor Virgil Teofil Cretu demanded the immediate intervention of Romanian authorities to save Cretu’s life.

Mariana Andrei said she received Friday a phone call from her boyfriend, who told her the pirates will start killing crewmen if they do not receive the ransom demanded for their release.

The woman asked Romanian authorities to get involved and attempt the freeing of the crewman, adding that, so far, no officials have contacted the hostage’s family.

Somali pirates who captured UK-flagged ship St. James Park and North Korea-flagged cargo vessel Rim, with three Romanian sailors aboard, opened fire against a ship which approached them recently.

The UK-flagged tanker was seized on December 28 by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and has two Romanian sailors aboard.

The other sailors that make up the captured ship’s 26-member crew are from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria, the Philippines, Poland, India and Turkey.

According to Ecoterra, which supervises the maritime traffic, the ship approaching St. James Park did not fire back and left the area. After the Tuesday night’s incident, the UK tanker sailed away and is now located near Kulub.

North Korea-flagged tanker Rim was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on February 2, 2010 and has 10 sailors on board, of whom one is Romanian.

The tanker approached the Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden and met with Puntland pirate-fighting forces in a gunfire exchange. Rim sailed along the northeast African coast into the Indian Ocean.