Mar 17, 2010: RIYADH: The salaries of the crew members of the hijacked Saudi ship, Al-Nisr Al-Saudi, have been sent to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry for distribution to their families in Sri Lanka.

Al-Nisr Al-Saudi was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on March 1. The ship has a 14-member crew — 13 Sri Lankans and the ship’s Greek captain.

The ship, owned by International Bunkering Company Ltd. (IBCO), was on its way from Japan to Jeddah when it was hijacked.

The hijackers have demanded a $20 million ransom. The 5,136-ton ship is presently anchored off the coast of Somalia. The ship was not registered with maritime authorities and was outside the designated route that naval warships patrol.

Confirming the receipt of the salaries sent to the Foreign Ministry, a senior diplomat in Colombo told Arab News that his ministry was busy tracking down the families of the crew.

"Once the final list of the families has been confirmed, we will begin paying the salaries to them," the official said. The Saudi company has also sent the salary of the Greek captain to the authorities in Greece. Last week, Sri Lankan crew members were provided satellite telephone facilities by the pirates to talk to their family members in Sri Lanka.

Negotiators are now in contact with the pirates and are working to get the ship and its crew released.

According to sources, the negotiations are expected to last a long time due to the size of the ransom the pirates have demanded.

The Foreign Ministry in Colombo has directed the Sri Lankan missions in Nairobi and Saudi Arabia to monitor the situation and do what they can for the captive sailors.