Panama-flagged vessel carrying Filipino crew hijacked in the Somali Basin

Panama-flagged vessel carrying Filipino crew hijacked in the Somali Basin

2010-10-11 17:43:31 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- A Panama-flagged vessel carrying a Filipino crew was hijacked in the Somali Basin on Sunday, the European Union Naval Force - Somalia confirmed on Monday.

The force said the MV Izumi, which has a deadweight of 20,170 tonnes, sent out an automatic distress signal to its owners on Sunday, indicating the vessel was likely under pirate attack.

After the owners contacted authorities about the distress signal, the Danish warship HDMS Esbern Snare of the NATO counter piracy force was dispatched to intercept and investigate the MV Izumi.

On early Monday morning, according to the European Union Naval Force - Somalia, the captain of the vessel made contact with the Danish warship, stating that pirates were in charge of the MV Izumi.

The French warship FS Florael, which is assigned to the European Union Naval Force - Somalia, is now monitoring the pirated vessel. It is currently about 170 nautical miles (314 kilometers) south of Mogadishu, carrying a crew of 20 Filipinos.

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