A Dutch owner of a ship hijacked off the Somali coast in late May denied comments Tuesday that the pirates had demanded a $1.1 million ransom for the vessel, Dutch radio said, RIA Novosti reports.
Reuters said earlier Tuesday citing Abdullahi an 'ally' of the pirates: "The pirates holding the Dutch ship demand a ransom of $ 1.1 million while the owners say they are willing to pay $700,000."
A spokesman for Reider Shipping, the owner of the Amiya Scan - which sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda and was seized by Somali pirates on May 26 - made no comment on the report, saying different reports were being published every day.
"The talks are continuing," Lars Walder said.
The agency also quoted Abdullahi as saying that the crew were in good health.
The pirates have threatened to kill the crew, comprising four Russians and five Filipinos, if any rescue attempt is made. The hijacked vessel is a cargo ship delivering drilling platform components to Romania from the Kenyan portMombasa. of
Russia earlier urged Somalia not to take any action that could put the lives of the crew in danger.
On Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution permitting countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters to combat "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."