Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is still waiting for a decision from Singapore regarding efforts to free the MT Gemini ship and its crew members from Somalian hijackers, a senior minister said.

"No significant developments yet," Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said when he was contacted on Monday by ANTARA with regard to the ship which was hijacked by Somalian pirates late last month.

Djoko said that the Indonesian government continued to communicate with the Singapore government for the release of MT Gamini ship which carried 25 crew members, of whom 13 are Indonesian nationals.

"The Indonesian government met with the Singapore ambassador here last night and no new developments have yet to be made," he said.

Earlier, the Indonesian Defense Forces Commander Admiral Agus Suhartono said that the liberation of MT Gemini very much depended on the Singapore decision because the ship was Singapore-flagged commercial ship.

"Therefore, the efforts to release the pirated ship depend on the decision of the Singapore government," the military chief said.

The MT Gemini which is based in Singapore with 13 Indonesian sailors and other crew members of other nationalities on board was hijacked by Somali pirates on April 30, 2011.

Singapore-based Glory Ship Management which owns the MT Gemini said the ship was pirated on Saturday (April 30) while it was sailing to the port town of Mombassa, Kenya. It said the crew members included 13 Indonesians, five Chinese, four South Koreans and three Myanmarese.

"They were hijacked in Kenya and taken to the north where the headquarters of the hijackers is located," Djoko Suyanto said.

In the meantime, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the Indonesian government had been informed by Singapore that th 13 Indonesian sailors aboard the pirated ship were in good health conditions.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011