Negotiations begin with pirates as ship is found

The UN-chartered ship that was seized by pirates last month, the mv ROZEN, has been found.

Negotiations are reportedly underway with four pirates on board the vessel near the port of Eyl in northern Somalia.

Still on board are the ship's crew but although the ship's owner is reported to have said that he has been allowed contact with the crew and they are well, a UN spokesperson still voiced fears for their safety.

On February 28th the The UN's World Food Programme Agency (WFP) has said that Puntland authorities had arrested four men whom they say were part of a group that hijacked the ship.

The men were arrested when they went ashore to buy supplies in the town of Bargal.

The vessel was hijacked on Sunday morning (25 February) off the northeastern coast of Somalia in the region of Puntland, with six Sri Lankan and six Kenyan crew members on board.

It had earlier delivered 1800 metric tons of food aid to ports at Berbera and to Bossaso, and was sailing empty to Mombasa in Kenya.

As Shipping Times UK first reported, all four of the company's St Vincent and Grenadine's flagged ships, motor vessels SEMLOW, MILTZOW, TORGELOW and now ROZEN have been captured by pirates as they made their UN-charter shipments.