Somali pirates release one vessel, hijack another

[News_Editor]

Somali pirates release one vessel, hijack another

2010-12-12 19:45:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- Somali pirates released a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier and then hijacked another vessel in the region, the European Union Naval Force - Somalia said on Sunday.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier MV Eleni P had been hijacked on May 12, approximately 250 nautical miles (463 kilometers) off the Omani coast. The vessel was released on Saturday although it was not immediately clear if a ransom had been paid.

The MV Eleni P, which has a deadweight of 72,119 tons, has a crew of 23, of which 19 are Filipinos, two are Greek, one Ukrainian, and one Romanian. They were reported to be in good health.

Then, around the same time on Saturday, Somali pirates hijacked the Panama-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk cargo vessel MV Renuar. The vessel was attacked about 1,050 nautical miles (1,944 kilometers) east of the Somali coastal village of Eyl, or about 550 nautical miles (1,018 kilometers) from the coast of India.

"The attack was launched from 2 attack skiffs, supported by a mother ship, with pirates firing small arms and rocket propelled grenades at the merchant vessel," said EU Naval Force spokesman Per Klingvall. "Since the attack, the pirates have confirmed that they have control of the ship which is now heading West towards the Somali Coast."

The crew of the vessel had tried to evade the pirate attack for a while, but failed. Eventually, after several attempts, the pirates were able to board the vessel and take over the ship.

The MV Renuar was en-route to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Port Louis in Mauritius when it was attacked. It has a crew of 24, all of whom are Filipino.

"There are presently no communications with the ship and the condition of the crew is not known," Klingvall added.

Currently, Somali pirates are holding at least 35 ships with a total of more than 650 hostages, according to ECOTERRA International, which keeps a record of pirating incidents. Most hijackings usually end without casualties when a ransom has been paid. This, however, often takes many months.

In recent years, Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships, taking in tens of millions of dollars in ransom. European Union ships are patrolling the shipping lanes near Somalia in an effort to reduce hijackings, but the anti-piracy force has warned that attacks are likely to increase now that the regional monsoon season has ended.

On Friday, pirates hijacked the U.S.-operated, Liberian flagged container ship the MV Panama in the far south of the Somali basin. It has a crew of 23, all of whom are from Myanmar (Burma).

"This extreme Southerly attack in the Somali Basin is a further example of the constantly expanding area of pirate activity," Klingvall said on Friday, adding that the vessel was en-route from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Beira in Mozambique.

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