NAIROBI, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Singaporean-flagged container ship was released by Somali pirates while a UK-flagged chemical tanker was hijacked, a regional maritime official confirmed on Tuesday.
Andrew Mwangura, East Africa coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program, said the MV Kota Wajar which was hijacked on Oct. 15 was released on Monday and is en route to Mombassa, east Kenya.
"All 21 crew are safe and well. We are informed that the shipping company is sending a party to Mombassa to receive the Captain and the crew of the Kota Wajar and to ensure that they receive the best possible care after their ordeal," he said.
Also on Monday, Somali pirates took a UK-flagged chemical tanker, St. James Park, which was on voyage from Tarragona, Spain to Tha Phut, Thailand.
"She was hijacked by pirates in position 1258.4 N and 4834.1 E which is in the Gulf of Aden, the International Recognized Transit Corridor(IRTC)," said Mwangura.
The St. James Park is loaded with a cargo of 13,175 tonnes of EDC (Ethyl Dichlorine), which is used in the manufacturing of plastics and is not dangerous in normal carriage conditions.
The ship's last port of call was Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she stopped on Dec. 24.
The vessel sent a security alert at 1420 GMT on Monday before altering its course and heading southwest towards the northern coast of Somalia.
There are 26 crew members on board including Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Filipino, Polish, Ukrainian, Georgian, Indian and Turkish.
"At the current course and speed she will arrive off the coast between 0300 GMT and 0600 GMT Dec. 29," said Mwangura.
Piracy has become rampant off the coast of Africa, especially in the waters near Somalia, which has been without an effective government since 1991.
Ransoms started out in the tens of thousands of dollars and have since climbed into the millions.
An estimated 25,000 ships annually cruise the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's northern coast. More than 10 ships and 200 crew members are still held by Somali pirates.
The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. About 25,000 ships use the channel south of Yemen, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
ATHENS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Greek-owned Panama-flagged cargo ship was seized by Somali pirates as it was sailing off Seychelles' coast, it was announced on Tuesday by the Greek Coast Guard.
Navios Apollon, which belongs to Navios Maritime Partners, has a Greek captain and an 18-member crew of foreign seamen. Full story
WARSAW, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Polish chief engineer is aboard a British-flagged chemical tanker hijacked by Somali pirates on Monday, Foreign Ministry deputy press spokesman Grzegorz Jopkiewicz said on Tuesday.
Jopkiewicz told TVN 24 television that the British ship owner had already phoned the Pole's family. Full story
NAIROBI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Somali pirates are holding an Indian dhow with 13 crew members after seizing it on Friday, a regional maritime official confirmed on Monday.
Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the gunmen seized MV Neseya off the coast of Kismayo in southern Somalia. Full story
The Spanish tuna fishing boat Alakrana sails near a Spanish warship in the Indian ocean after it was freed from Somali pirates November 17, 2009. Somali pirates on Tuesday freed a Spanish tuna fishing boat hijacked last month and said a $3.5 million ransom had been paid for the vessel and its crew. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
MOGADISHU, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Somali pirates on Tuesday released a Spanish trawler with 36 crew on broad after receiving more than three million U.S. dollars in ransom, a pirate commander said.
¡°The crew and the ship were released after our demands were met. They paid more than three million U.S. dollars for the freedom of the fishermen and their fishing boat who were caught looting our resources,¡± Omar Ali, a pirate commander with the gang holding the released Spanish trawler told Xinhua by phone from Harardheere, a pirate stronghold in north central Somalia. Full story
The pirates armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns aboard the ship "Zhenhua 4".(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China is making preparations to deploy warships in the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast to fight rampant pirates, after a Chinese ship escaped pirate hijack in the region.
"We are making preparations and arrangements to deploy naval ships to the Gulf of Aden for escorting operations," the foreign ministry said on its website Thursday. Full story
