Pirates Strike Again in The Gulf of Aden
29 January 2009 17:43 [Source: ICIS news]
LONDON (ICIS news)--Somali pirates hijacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden containing an unspecified amount of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) in the early hours of Thursday morning, sources said.
The tanker, Longchamp, with a capacity of 3,500 tonnes, was carrying the VCM from Europe to southeast Asia, according to a spokesman for the trading company moving the material, who did not want to be named.
One source that had a vessel in the area stated that as many as five vessels had been attacked by the pirates this morning. However, a spokesman for the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said that he was unaware of the multiple attacks.
“I can confirm that the Longchamp was hijacked by Somali pirates this morning but I am unaware of any other attacks today”, the spokesman said.
“The threat from the pirates has not been eradicated because the area is so vast but security has been enhanced and more coordination between patrols will help prevent further attacks”, the source added.
The hijacking is thought to be the third reported incident of piracy in the area this year alone in what has become the most dangerous stretch of water in the world.
The crew of 13, consisting of 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian, were said to be safe, according to the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
LONDON (ICIS news)--Somali pirates hijacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden containing an unspecified amount of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) in the early hours of Thursday morning, sources said.
The tanker, Longchamp, with a capacity of 3,500 tonnes, was carrying the VCM from Europe to southeast Asia, according to a spokesman for the trading company moving the material, who did not want to be named.
One source that had a vessel in the area stated that as many as five vessels had been attacked by the pirates this morning. However, a spokesman for the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said that he was unaware of the multiple attacks.
“I can confirm that the Longchamp was hijacked by Somali pirates this morning but I am unaware of any other attacks today”, the spokesman said.
“The threat from the pirates has not been eradicated because the area is so vast but security has been enhanced and more coordination between patrols will help prevent further attacks”, the source added.
The hijacking is thought to be the third reported incident of piracy in the area this year alone in what has become the most dangerous stretch of water in the world.
The crew of 13, consisting of 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian, were said to be safe, according to the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
