Wife elated as hostage freed

Jan 13 2009 By Dan Warburton, The Journal

THE elated wife of a North man who was held hostage on a Saudi supertanker by Somalian pirates yesterday spoke of their relief following his release.

Chief engineer Peter French, 45, of County Durham, was among those who spent Christmas and New Year held in the hijacked Sirius Star in the Indian Ocean.

But on Friday the tanker’s Saudi owner, Vela International, parachuted a £2m ransom package to the vessel, 420 nautical miles off Somalia.

And last night, speaking for the first time about her family’s two-month ordeal, Mr French’s wife Hazel released a statement through Durham police.

She said Mr French, who lives in Willington, County Durham, with his 18-month-old daughter Amy, was in good spirits and would hopefully be home soon.

She said: "The family of Peter French would like to say how elated and relieved they are at the release of the ship.

"This has been a very difficult time for everyone, especially at Christmas and the New Year but we are now looking forward to his return home.

"I have spoken to Peter and he is in good spirits and looking forward to time at home with his family and a little relaxation. Hopefully it will not be too long before he is back.

"We would like to say thank you to everyone, both family and friends, who have been such a huge support to us over the last two months."

Mr French and James Grady, from Renfrewshire, were among 25 people who were held captive for nearly two months on the vessel after it was seized by Somali pirates on November 15.

The 1,080ft (330m) ship was fully laden with two million barrels of oil when pirates boarded it. It is the largest vessel ever to be hijacked in a region which has become notorious for piracy.

Last week, the US navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package on to the deck of the Sirius Star, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery.

But five of the dozens of pirates who had hijacked the tanker drowned when their small boat capsized as they returned to shore in rough weather.

Three other pirates survived but also lost their share of the ransom.

Vela refused to release details of when or where the ship will berth, or how long it will be before the hostages arrive home.

On Sunday, Vela president Saleh K’aki said: "We are very relieved to know that all the crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and high spirits."