Pakistan is claiming an initial payment of US$200,000 in damages from the Tasman Spirit's owners - Assimina Maritime - and its insurers - The American Club - before it will release the men dubbed "The Karachi Eight".

Pakistan has also filed a formal complaint with the International Maritime Organisation.

According to American Club general counsel Michael J. Mitchell, Pakistan's actions are too much. "The Club have cleaned up the oil, removed the wreck and offered to pay compensation in accordance with international standards - it is now up to Pakistan to release the 'Karachi Eight'," said Mitchell, whose company contends that Pakistan's charges are unsubstantiated and which has refused to pay any compensation until the eight men are released.

The Karachi Eight are currently in a jail in the Sindh Province, facing criminal charges filed by the Karachi Port Trust. The tanker, which had ran aground in July last year and later broke in two and polluted 16 km of the coastal belt with 12,000 tonnes of crude, was removed by contractor SMIT Salvage BV.