Dubai-bound ship survives pirate attack off Somalia

[N.O.R.F]

Dubai-bound ship survives pirate attack off Somalia

AP

 

 

Kuala Lumpur: Pirates fired grenade launchers and machine guns at a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean far off the coast of Somalia, sparking concerns that key shipping routes are threatened, a Malaysia-based maritime watchdog said yesterday.

 

The Qatar-flagged cargo ship, Ibn Younus, managed to escape during an hour-long chase as it headed from Durban in South Africa to Jebel Ali in Dubai after it was attacked on Monday, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

Choong said piracy was on the rise again in Somalia with Monday's attack the fifth since April.

 

Three men in a speed boat, armed with machine guns and grenade launchers, approached the ship and ordered it to stop, he said.

 

"They started firing with machine guns toward the bridge of the ship. The emergency alarm was raised and the ship took measures to prevent the pirates from boarding," Choong said.

 

"The pirates then opened fire with the grenade launcher and successfully hit the crew's cabins, causing severe damage," he said.

 

Choong said the ship took a zigzag course to evade the pirates and managed to escape. The ship's crew was safe and nobody was injured.

 

The attack - Somalia's seventh at sea so far this year - occurred 180 nautical miles off the coast, compared to previous raids that took place close to the shoreline, Choong said.

 

http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Somalia/10125654.html

[Ms DD]

Salaam North

 

Cant the so-called govt (with all their money) take the same measures the ICU did?

[Jacaylbaro]

Gunmen capture two ships in Somali waters

 

 

NAIROBI, May 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked three ships off the Somali coast, seizing two and taking scores of Asian crew members hostage in the latest raid off one of the world's most dangerous coastlines, a Kenyan official said on Wednesday.

 

Andrew Mwangura, director of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the vessels were attacked 370 km (230 miles) off the coast of Somalia on Tuesday afternoon.

 

He said the Mavuno 1 and Mavuno 2, which left Kenya five days ago, were hijacked on their way to Yemen.

 

He told Reuters the vessels were registered in Tanzania, and owned by Koreans in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

 

"Reaching the high seas, a group of about 12 gunmen hijacked the two fishing vessels," Mwangura said.

 

"Currently they are under captivity, but we don't know their exact position. Crew members on board are about 30 and are composed of Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indians."

 

Mwangura said he had received information the third ship, a cargo ship called Ibn Younus which escaped, was headed to the United Arab Emirates.

 

Piracy has been rife off Somalia since the country slid into into chaos after warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Many pirates claim to be "coastguards" protecting their waters against illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste.

 

The attacks have been on the rise since Islamists, who controlled most of south Somalia in the second half of 2006, were ousted in January.

 

 

SOURCE

[N.O.R.F]

Originally posted by Ms Dhucdhuc & Dheylo:

Salaam North

 

Cant the so-called govt (with all their money) take the same measures the ICU did?

They probably heard about it through the media just like us. I will never place hope in those guys.

[Peacenow]

One should ask what is a Korean trawler doing in Somali waters? Maybe they have come here to sightsee the beautiful town of Mogadishu. The foreign media again is peddling misinformation.

Governments have massive operations that can fight this misinformation. Sadly this won't stop and the name of Somalia futher soiled, unless this happens.