Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia, Somali officials and piracy experts have said, the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel on the crucial global trade route since 2012.
The Aris 13 reported being approached by two skiffs on13 March 2017 Monday. The ship was carrying fuel from Djibouti to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Eight Sri Lankan crew members were onboard.
An official in the semiautonomous state of Puntland said more than two dozen men boarded the ship off Somalia's northern coast, an area known to be used by weapons smugglers and members of the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
The ship was anchored off the town of Alula, said Salad Nur, a local elder. “The ship is on the coast now and more armed men boarded the ship,” he said.
“The vessel's captain reported to the company they were approached by two skiffs and that one of them they could see armed personnel on board,” the official said. “The ship changed course quite soon after that report and is now anchored.”
Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said the ship was not registered under a Sri Lankan flag, but it confirmed that eight Sri Lankan crew members were employed on the vessel. In a statement, the ministry said it was in touch with shipping agents and officials abroad for more information to help ensure the crew's “safety and welfare.”
This would be the first commercial pirate attack off Somalia since 2012.
Piracy off Somalia's coast was once a serious threat to the global shipping industry. It has lessened in recent years after an international effort to patrol near the country, whose weak central government has been trying to assert itself after a quarter-century of conflict.
But frustrations have been rising among local fishermen, including former pirates, at what they say are foreign fishermen illegally fishing in local waters.
Nur, the local elder, said that young fishermen including former pirates have hijacked the ship.
“They have been sailing through the ocean in search for a foreign ship to hijack since yesterday morning and found this ship and boarded it,” he said. “Foreign fishermen destroyed their livelihoods and deprived them of proper fishing.”
Somali pirates usually hijack ships and crew for ransom. They don't normally kill hostages unless they come under attack, including during rescue attempts. A United Nations report in November said Somali pirates retain the capacity and intent to resume the attacks and lately have shifted to targeting smaller foreign fishing boats.
0 Comments