COLOMBO, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweeraon said on Thursday that the crew members aboard the vessel hijacked by Somali pirates docked in the Port town of Alula were safe.
The official told reporters here that Sri Lanka is in touch with all necessary sides and keeping a close watch on the situation.
He said the Sri Lankan ambassador to Ethiopia was working closely with the Somali government and Sri Lanka had been informed that it was a piracy situation.
Gunmen believed to be Somali pirates hijacked the small oil tanker Aris 13 on Monday, demanding a ransom to release the ship and its eight Sri Lankan crew, said the EU Naval Force that patrols the waters off Somalia.
It is the first ship to be seized since 2012.
The 1,800 deadweight ton Aris 13 is owned by Panama company Armi Shipping and managed by Aurora Ship Management in the United Arab Emirates, according to the Equasis shipping data website, managed by the French transport ministry.
