Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel released from pirate control

Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel released from pirate control

2011-06-18 01:02:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

SALALAH, OMAN (BNO NEWS) -- An Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel was released from pirate control on Thursday after 70 days in captivity, the European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) reported on Friday.

EU Naval Force spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said that the German-owned MV Susan K was pirated on April 8, approximately 200 nautical miles (230 miles) northeast of Salalah, Oman and about 35 nautical miles (40 miles) from the Omani coastline.

The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant vessel was released from pirate control on Thursday and is currently heading towards a safe port. The 10 crew members of the MV Susan K, six Ukrainians and four Filipinos, were all freed as well.

The vessel was on its way to Port Sudan in Sudan from Mumbai, India when it was pirated, but exact details of the incident are still unknown, added spokesman O'Kennedy.

Also on Friday, EU NAVFOR informed that a Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel carrying more than two dozen crew members was released from pirate control on Tuesday.

The MV Suez merchant vessel carrying cement bags was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on August 2, 2010 and released after 317 days in captivity. A group of Somali pirates attacked the vessel with small arms before boarding and taking control of it.

O'Kennedy said that the vessel is now heading towards a safe port. The crew of 23 people, including citizens from Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, were freed and reported in a good condition.

It was not disclosed if a ransom was paid to secure the two releases. Somali pirates are currently holding at least 21 vessels with an estimated 464 hostages and an unknown number of unconfirmed dhows and smaller vessels, according to EU NAVFOR.

The piracy monitoring group Ecoterra, however, says pirates are holding at least 46 vessels and 725 hostages. In recent years, pirates (mostly from Somalia) have hijacked hundreds of ships, taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom.

EU NAVFOR is patrolling the shipping lanes near Somalia in an effort to reduce hijackings, but the anti-piracy force has warned that attacks are likely to continue. Most hijackings usually end without casualties when a ransom has been paid.

This, however, often takes many months. According to a recent study, maritime piracy cost the global economy up to $12 billion last year, with Somalia-based pirates responsible for 95 percent of the costs.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-18