Captors of Russian sailors demand $1.5 mln ransom

10.06.2010 Pirates who captured two Russian crewmen of MV North Spirit off Cameroon in May demand $1.5 mln ransom, wrote Wednesday Cameroonian newspaper Jour referring to pirates' spokesman.

MV North Spirit (flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, operator is Greek company Balthellas Chartering S.A.) with Russian and Ukrainian crewmembers on board was attacked on May 16 off Cameroonian port Douala. Two crewmen were taken hostage, shipmaster Boris Tersintsev and chief engineer Igor Shumik. After a while it was reported that kidnapped sailors had been brought to Nigeria.

"Hostages won't be released until the shipowner pays $1.5 mln ransom", the newspaper cites the representative of Perewei aka "Three Lions" who is a militant well known in the region.

Jour also reported that the captors forced Boris Tersintsev to describe their housing conditions while phone talk with the shipowner. According to the shipmaster, they are held "in bad conditions" in the middle of mangrove forest, chief engineer Igor Shumik suffers from a heavy diarrhea because of bad quality of drinking water.

Shipmaster of Lithuanian reefer Argo Dmitry Bashkirov kidnapped almost in the same time and place is also held hostage in Nigeria along with captured crewmen of North Spirit.