Pirates nab 2 foreign vessels off Somalia
Source: Agencies |
January 3, 2010, Sunday
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A CHEMICAL tanker from Singapore with Chinese crew members and a British-flagged cargo ship have both been hijacked by pirates in the perilous waters off the coast of Somalia, officials said yesterday.
The hijacking of the British Asian Glory happened late Friday roughly 1,000 kilometers east of Somalia, said Commander John Harbour, a spokesman with the European Union task force charged with combating piracy off Somalia.
The same day, the Singaporean-flagged Pramoni, a chemical tanker with a crew of 24, was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest waterways.
Chinese sailors
Five Chinese sailors were among the 24 crew onboard the chemical tanker, an official with the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center confirmed yesterday.
The official said the Singaporean government and GBLT Shipmanagement, the ship's owner, were trying to contact and rescue the hijacked ship.
Officials said the Pramoni was traveling east toward India when it was seized by pirates on Friday. The ship's master reported on VHF that the crew was safe. The vessel is now heading toward Somalia.
Commander Harbour said the Asian Glory's crew of 25 appeared to be safe and that the pirates had not yet made contact with the ship's owner, Zodiac Management Agencies.
"The standard procedure for the pirates is to get the ship back to their stronghold and then contact the owner," he said. "I don't know yet where the ship is bound."
He said the ship was bound for, but had not yet entered, the internationally recognized travel corridor patrolled by EUNAVFOR, as the European Union mission is known, when it was hijacked.
"They were still outside the patrolled area," Harbour said.
He said the crew included 10 Ukrainians, nine Bulgarians, five Indians and two Romanians.
A spokesman for Zodiac Management Agencies confirmed the Asian Glory hijacking and said yesterday the crew's families were being notified. The company said it would limit the information it released out of concern for the crew's safety.
Zodiac was also hit earlier in the week when its ship the St. James Park was hijacked. A statement on the company's Website indicated yesterday the vessel is now anchored off the coast of Somalia. The company said it had not yet been contacted by pirates holding the ship and its 26-person crew.
There have been repeated acts of piracy against international shipping in the area despite a special EU mission set up to reduce dangers to international shipping.
The hijacking of the British Asian Glory happened late Friday roughly 1,000 kilometers east of Somalia, said Commander John Harbour, a spokesman with the European Union task force charged with combating piracy off Somalia.
The same day, the Singaporean-flagged Pramoni, a chemical tanker with a crew of 24, was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest waterways.
Chinese sailors
Five Chinese sailors were among the 24 crew onboard the chemical tanker, an official with the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center confirmed yesterday.
The official said the Singaporean government and GBLT Shipmanagement, the ship's owner, were trying to contact and rescue the hijacked ship.
Officials said the Pramoni was traveling east toward India when it was seized by pirates on Friday. The ship's master reported on VHF that the crew was safe. The vessel is now heading toward Somalia.
Commander Harbour said the Asian Glory's crew of 25 appeared to be safe and that the pirates had not yet made contact with the ship's owner, Zodiac Management Agencies.
"The standard procedure for the pirates is to get the ship back to their stronghold and then contact the owner," he said. "I don't know yet where the ship is bound."
He said the ship was bound for, but had not yet entered, the internationally recognized travel corridor patrolled by EUNAVFOR, as the European Union mission is known, when it was hijacked.
"They were still outside the patrolled area," Harbour said.
He said the crew included 10 Ukrainians, nine Bulgarians, five Indians and two Romanians.
A spokesman for Zodiac Management Agencies confirmed the Asian Glory hijacking and said yesterday the crew's families were being notified. The company said it would limit the information it released out of concern for the crew's safety.
Zodiac was also hit earlier in the week when its ship the St. James Park was hijacked. A statement on the company's Website indicated yesterday the vessel is now anchored off the coast of Somalia. The company said it had not yet been contacted by pirates holding the ship and its 26-person crew.
There have been repeated acts of piracy against international shipping in the area despite a special EU mission set up to reduce dangers to international shipping.
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