23 Chinese held after pirates hit cargo ship
Source: Xinhua |
April 12, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOMALIA pirates have hijacked a St Vincent and Grenadines-flagged cargo ship in the Indian Ocean waters near Seychelles with 23 Chinese crew members aboard, a maritime official confirmed yesterday.
Andrew Mwangura, the East African coordinator of Seafarers' Assistance, said that MV Rak Afrikana was hijacked earlier yesterday about 280 nautical miles west of Seychelles.
"All crew members on the Rak Afrikana, 23 of them, are Chinese," Mwangura said by telephone from Mombasa, Kenya.
Earlier, European Union Naval Force Commander John Harbour said Rak Afrikana, with a deadweight of 7,561 tons, had stopped due to engine problems.
"The cargo vessel is owned by Rak Afrikana Shipping Limited from Seychelles," Harbour said.
Piracy has become rampant off the coast of Africa, especially in the waters near Somalia which has been without an effective government since 1991.
Ransoms started out in the tens of thousands of United States dollars and have since climbed into the millions.
The Horn of Africa nation is at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping channels.
Somalia has been plagued by factional fighting between warlords and hasn't had a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of former leader Mohammed Siad Barre.
The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. Every year about 25,000 ships ply the area.
Andrew Mwangura, the East African coordinator of Seafarers' Assistance, said that MV Rak Afrikana was hijacked earlier yesterday about 280 nautical miles west of Seychelles.
"All crew members on the Rak Afrikana, 23 of them, are Chinese," Mwangura said by telephone from Mombasa, Kenya.
Earlier, European Union Naval Force Commander John Harbour said Rak Afrikana, with a deadweight of 7,561 tons, had stopped due to engine problems.
"The cargo vessel is owned by Rak Afrikana Shipping Limited from Seychelles," Harbour said.
Piracy has become rampant off the coast of Africa, especially in the waters near Somalia which has been without an effective government since 1991.
Ransoms started out in the tens of thousands of United States dollars and have since climbed into the millions.
The Horn of Africa nation is at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping channels.
Somalia has been plagued by factional fighting between warlords and hasn't had a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of former leader Mohammed Siad Barre.
The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. Every year about 25,000 ships ply the area.
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