Feb 4 (Reuters) - Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden have hijacked the MV Rim, a Libyan-owned cargo ship thought to be carrying 17 seafarers from Romania and Libya, a European Union anti-piracy force and a maritime group said on Thursday.
Here is a list of ships under the control of Somali pirates: * WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized on April 6, 2009. * AL KHALIQ - Seized on Oct. 22, 2009. The Panamanian-registered ship carried 26 crew, 24 of them Indian. It is owned and operated by SNP Shipping of Mumbai. The 38,305 dwt bulk carrier was seized west of the Seychelles. * THAI UNION 3 - Seized on Oct. 29, 2009. Pirates on two skiffs boarded the tuna fishing boat with 23 Russians, two Filipinos and two Ghanaians on board. * THERESA VIII: Seized on Nov. 16, 2009. The chemical tanker was hijacked in the south Somali Basin, northwest of the Seychelles. The 22,294 dwt tanker had a crew of 28 North Koreans. The captain of the tanker died from gunshot wounds sustained during the hijack, a Somali pirate said. * NESEYA: Seized on Dec. 18, 2009. The Indian dhow with 13 Indian crew members was seized off the coast of Kismayo in southern Somalia. * SOCOTRA 1: Seized on Dec. 25, 2009: The Yemeni-owned ship was captured in the Gulf of Aden after it left Alshahr port in the eastern province of Hadramout. There are six Yemeni crew aboard. * AL MAHMOUD 2: Reported on Dec. 28, 2009. The cargo vessel left Yemen's southern port of Aden on Dec. 18, with 15 sailors and a captain on board -- all Yemenis. * ST JAMES PARK: Seized on Dec. 28, 2009. The UK-flagged 13,924 dwt chemical tanker had been sailing to Thailand from Spain with a chemical used to make plastics when it sent a distress signal from the Gulf of Aden. Its 26 crew members were from Bulgaria, Georgia, India, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. * NAVIOS APOLLON: Seized on Dec. 28, 2009: The Panama-flagged 52,000 dwt bulk cargo vessel was seized about 800 miles off the Somali coast, north of the Seychelles. The vessel was sailing from the U.S. to India with a cargo of fertiliser. The Greek management company confirmed there were 19 crew. * ASIAN GLORY: Seized Jan. 1, 2010. British-flagged vehicle carrier, hijacked approximately 900 miles north of the Seychelles. The 25 crew aboard consists of eight Bulgarians, including the captain, 10 Ukrainians, five Indians and two Romanians. * MV PRAMONI: Seized Jan. 1, 2010. The Singaporean-flagged 20,000 tonnes dwt chemical tanker was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on route from Italy to India. The 24 crew consists of 17 Indonesians, 5 Chinese, 1 Nigerian and 1 Vietnamese. * MV RIM: Seized on Feb. 2, 2010. The Libyan-owned 4,800-tonne cargo ship was seized south of Yemen. The North Korean flagged vessel carried around 17 crew. * PIRACY FACTS: -- Globally in 2009, there were 406 reported incidents, during which 153 vessels were boarded, 49 vessels were hijacked, 84 attempted attacks and 120 vessels fired upon. A total of 1,052 crew were taken hostage. At least 68 crew members were injured and 8 were killed. -- In all, Somali pirates were held responsible for 217 acts of piracy in 2009 during which 47 vessels were hijacked and 867 crew members taken hostage. By the end of 2009 suspected Somali pirates held 12 vessels for ransom with 263 crew-members of various nationalities as hostages, the report said. -- In 2008, 111 vessels were targeted by Somali pirates resulting in 42 hijackings. Although the number of 2009 incidents has almost doubled, the number of successful hijackings is proportionately less. -- Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.
No comments:
Post a Comment