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22-04-2010

Somali pirates have hijacked four ships carrying a total of 98 crew members in less than a week, officials said on Wednesday

AfricaNews - On Wednesday, pirates seized a Panamanian-flagged, Liberian-owned Voc Daisy, in Gulf of Aden about 200 miles southeast of Oman and some 200 miles (300 kilometers) outside the corridor where international warships guard convoys of merchant vessels.

Four Somali pirates carrying AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade hijacked a bulk carrier with 21 crew on board which was leaving from the United Arab Emirates toward the Suez Canal, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.

The bandits group also seized three Thai fishing vessels, carrying a total of 77 crew members, on Sunday off the coast of lawless and war-torn nation, Somalia.

Officials said that the hijacking took place far outside the area in which the EU force operated, about 1,200 nautical miles (2,222km) from the Somali coast.

"It's the furthest east that any attack and any hijacking has taken place, certainly since Eunavfor arrived in the area in December 2008," spokesman Cmdr John Harbour was quoted.

Somali pirates, who have made over $60 million for a ransom only last year, have reportedly claimed to be acting as "coastguards" protecting their waters from illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste.

Somalia waters have huge numbers of commercial fish species, including the prized yellow fin tuna.

Foreign ships reportedly use prohibited fishing equipment, including nets with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated underwater lighting systems, to lure fish to their traps.

Somali waters are one of the most dangerous in the world, with 47 vessels and 300 crews hijacked by Somali pirates last year.

 


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