MOSCOW, Russia -- Head of the Russian Sailors Trade Union Igor Pavlov has asked Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko to take all of the necessary measures to help free the crew of the Ariana, a Ukrainian vessel seized by Somali pirates on May 2, 2009.
“The ship has run out of water and food, fuel will soon be finished, and there are no medicines. One of two women on board the vessel had a miscarriage in the fifth month of pregnancy and she needs professional medical assistance urgently,” he said in a statement posted on the union’s Web site.Pavlov said that all of the 24 crew members need help as the situation is critical.“Pirates threaten to kill everyone when fuel runs out and the electrical generators stop operating,” he said.“The state should not leave its citizens in trouble. We ask to give sailors a chance to return home safe and sound, as soon as possible, and to take all of the necessary measures to speed up the negotiation process,” Pavlov said.Somali pirates seized the Ariana, a Maltese-flagged ship operated by Greece's Alloceans Shipping Cо. Ltd, in the Gulf of Aden on May 2, 2009. All of the 24 crew members are citizens of Ukraine.
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