News

02-01-2010

Somali Pirates Still Hold 11 Hijacked Ships As 2010 Begins

Melvin Baker - AHN Reporter - Mogadishu, Somalia - Crew members of at least 11 seagoing vessels began 2010 as they ended 2009 - as captives of Somali pirates.

Four of the vessels were seized in the past week, with two being hijacked on Friday.

The Asian Glory, a British-flagged freighter, was taken late Friday off the coast of Somalia, the European Union naval force reported Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the chemical tanker M/V Pramoni was seized. The 20,000-ton Singaporean-flagged vessel had a crew of 24 and was headed to Kandia, India.

On Tuesday, pirates captured the St. James Park, which carried a crew of 26. The chemical tanker was commandeered near the northern coast of Somalia en route from Spain to Thailand.

Monday a Greek-flagged bulk carrier, the Navios Apollon, was seized as it carried fertilizer from Tampa, FL, to Rozy, India. Ten men on speedboats boarded the ship in the Indian Ocean northeast of the Seychelles archipelago.

A British couple captured Oct. 22 while sailing their yacht to Tanzania are among those still being held for ransom.

In the first nine months of 2009, Somali pirates hijacked 32 vessels with 533 crewmembers.