Somali pirates strike again, hijacking a Greek ship‎, Bulgaria Shipping Operator to Start Negotiations with Somali Pirates‎ -Chinese mainland offers help for hijacked Taiwan vessel off Somali

One day after Somali pirates seized the Bulgarian chemical tanker Panega in the Gulf of Aden, they have struck again, this time capturing a Greek tanker with 24 crewmen on board, international media reported.

The Greek-owned freighter was hijacked on May 12, with two of the crew being Greek nationals and the rest from the Philippines. Earlier, they captured 15 Bulgarians on board the Panega.

The Greek ship was chartered by Eurobulk Ltd, ferrying iron ore from Ukraine, through Singapore, bound for China."We received information stating that the Greek merchant ship Eleni P was captured," a spokesperson for the Greek coast guard told Reuters.Meanwhile, the Somalis allegedly made a serious blunder when they targeted the Bulgarian flagged Panega, owned by the Bulgarian Merchant Marine, Bulgarian authorities say.Reprotedlyt, the pirates' intelligence failed them, and they boarded the wrong ship as the tanker was empty and destined for scrap in the Pakistani port of Karachi.Authorities say that it is highly unusual for the pirates to target an empty vessel. They believe that the hijackers made a mistake, as the vessel was part of a convoy, while the raid itself occurred in poor visibility at 6.45pm time Bulgarian time on May 11.BMM spokesperson Atanas Panayotov said that "we are hoping the pirates will release the crew quickly once they realise the ship was empty and for destined for scrap".

Bulgaria Shipping Operator to Start Negotiations with Somali Pirates‎ - Chinese mainland offers help for hijacked Taiwan vessel off Somali