A TENSE game of wits is on secure the release of Singapore ship Kota Wajar and its 21 crew members.

Pacific International Lines (PIL), one of the world's biggest shipping companies and based here, owns the ship and it is believed that pirates have reached out to the company. But given sensitivities involved, PIL is keeping mum.

The container ship and crew were taken hostage mid-October by Somali pirates preying on vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

The past release of hijacked ships and crew points to ransom demands - if and when they are made - as the starting point.

These demands used to be in thousands of dollars. But the brigands, perhaps encouraged by a spate of successful kidnapping-ransom episodes, have upped that to millions.

Nearly US$3.2 million was reportedly paid for the release of oil tanker Sirius Star in November last year.

Read the full story in tomorrow's edition of The Sunday Times.