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Source: Reuters -
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Desperate families are spending Queen's Birthday Weekend praying for the safe release of 11 Tuvaluan sailors and one Fijian on board the German cargo ship Hansa Stavanger.
The ship was captured by Somalian pirates in April and all the Tuvaluan community can do is pray and hope for the safe return of the men being held hostage in the world's most dangerous stretch of ocean.
They need all the prayers they can get as the Somali pirates demand a ransom of $US15 million in exchange for their lives.
"They need to believe also their families, their community their churches are right behind them," Reverend Iosefa says.
Earlier this year Iosefa and three others got caught in the Kaipara Harbour while flounder fishing and the reverend knows all about survival. The group floated on a bin for nearly 10 hours in shark infested waters before drifting near land.
He says strength of spirit kept them from giving up and he hopes the Tuvaluan hostages - most of whom he knows - will also find that strength.
But they need the support of the New Zealand government, churches and community.
"Put some active and proactive actions in to save those people," Iosefa says.
One rescue attempt has already failed. The German government sent its elite combat force to storm the ship last month but pulled back after fears of a bloodbath.
Pacific hopes are now pinned on a diplomatic solution.
