News

03-12-2009

Hijacked Greek super-tanker anchors off Somalia

AFP - NAIROBI — The hijacked Greek super-tanker Maran Centaurus anchored Wednesday off the village of Hobyo in northern Somalia, a Kenyan maritime official told AFP.
The vessel was seized near the Seychelles on Sunday with its 28 crew members, becoming the second super-sized tanker to be captured by rampaging Somali pirates in 13 months.
"Maran Centaurus dropped anchor in Hobyo this morning," said Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance Programme. "The crew is reported to be safe."
The pirates are yet to make ransom demands for the huge vessel with a crew of 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and a Romanian.
It was hijacked while on its way from Saudi Arabia to the United States, fully-laden with oil.
On Monday, the Athens-based owners, Maran Tankers Management, said no contact had been made with the ship since its seizure.
Hobyo is one of the three main pirate dens in the north of the lawless Horn of Africa country.
Mwangura said pirates are currently holding 12 ships and 295 sailors. The majority were seized since early October at the end of the monsoon season.
The Maran Centaurus is the second oil tanker captured by the pirates, following the hijacking of the Sirius Star in November last year with a cargo estimated to be worth around 100 million dollars.
It was released in January after the payment of a ransom.