Family hopes for crew's safe return

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The families of two Brits being held by Somali pirates say they hope the men will be home soon, a statement from British officials said.

Chief engineer Peter French and second officer James Grady of the supertanker Sirius Star were identified by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Wednesday as being among 25 crewmen on the ship carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil when it was commandeered last weekend off the coast of Somalia, The Times of London reported.

"The families of Peter French, from County Durham, and James Grady, from Strathclyde, greatly appreciate the concern that has been expressed by people throughout the (United Kingdom) and beyond, about Peter and James," the Foreign Office statement said. "They hope that Peter and James will be home safely to their families very soon."

The Saudi foreign minister has said the ship's owner, Vela International Marine, was negotiating a possible ransom.