Durham man held hostage by Somalian pirates

Nov 20 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

A COUNTY Durham man is being held hostage by Somalian pirates on an oil tanker. Family of Peter French last night pleaded for his safe return and thanked the people of Britain for their support.

Mr French and colleague James Grady from Strathclyde in Scotland are on the Sirius Star which is anchored off the East African coast of Somalia. The Durham man is thought to be the tanker’s chief engineer and Mr Grady its Second Officer.

Somalian pirates, who have become notorious for their attacks on ships in the area, struck the Sirius Star at the weekend taking control of the vessel and steering it to a pirate stronghold near Eyl.

The Saudi-owned ship was fully laden with £67m worth of oil when pirates boarded. It is the largest vessel hijacked in the region.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called for the immediate release of the crew. He said the problem of piracy was “a grave danger to the stability in the region”.

In a statement released through the Government, the two men’s’ families said they hope the pair “will be home safely very soon”.

The statement said the families “greatly appreciate the concern that has been expressed by people throughout the UK and beyond, about Peter and James.

“They hope that Peter and James will be home safely to their families very soon.”

Mr Miliband said: “The United Kingdom is very worried about the piracy in the Gulf of Aden and in Somalia. We call on those holding the (Britons) to release them and the rest of the crew immediately.”

He said the Royal Navy was involved in efforts to resolve the situation. “The Royal Navy is co-ordinating the European response as well as contributing to the international mission there.

“Obviously, the problem of piracy around Somalia is a grave danger to the stability in the region.”

Mark Dolan, a former sea captain and colleague of Mr French, said: “He is an excellent chief engineer.”

“I think he will be most angry and frustrated and itching to have a go back. I’m hoping that he will bide his time and not do anything silly.”

The vessel’s operator, Dubai-based Vela International Marine Ltd, said the 25 crew on board – Mr French and Mr Grady, two Poles, one Croatian, one Saudi national and 19 Filipinos – were believed to be safe.

The large oil tanker is owned by Saudi oil company Aramco but was sailing under a Liberian flag. It can carry about two million barrels of oil.

Page 2: Lifestyles of the rich and infamous