Maltese vessel Olig G was hijacked by pirates in the eastern Gulf of Aden
The pirates hijacked a Maltese flagged vessel Olig G in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday morning.
Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) Kenya co-ordinator Andrew Mwangura said in Mombasa the vessel was sailing west in internationally recommended transit corridor through the Gulf of Aden allegedly on ballast.
It is still unclear whether the vessel was involved in any dumping mission or why it was just sailing on ballast, said Mr Mwangura.
He added the ship, with deadweight of 6,375 tonnes, has a crew of 18 including 15 Georgian nationals and three Turks.
Mwangura gave the name of the ship owners as Frio Maritime SA and managers as Frio Ventures SA, both of Athens, Greece.
ship attacked
He said a group of pirates from Majerten (Puntland) and Warangeli (Sanaag) clans who had set out from Elayo reportedly attacked the ship.
Presently, the vessel is being commandeered towards the Somali coast and would most likely be directed to the Indian Ocean coast off Somalia, he said.
On the same day, however, an Antigua and Barbuda flagged ship, MV Magellan Star was targeted and boarded by pirates.
The vessel, which had discharged its cargo in Indonesia, was on a return voyage.
The ships crew locked themselves in a safe room and requested for help, said Mwangura.
A late report by Reuters indicated that US marines took the Magellan back after a while. Another futile attack involved a Jamaican ship, MV Miltiades on her way from Suez to India with fertiliser cargo.
A dozen pirates were arrested during an attempt to take over the ship.
Separately, an Islamic organisation has welcomed the training of additional State spies and called the force to also take interest in fixing drug barons.
Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council Chairman Juma Ngao said the training of 300 new National Security Intelligence Service officers was a move in the right direction.
As we implement the new Constitution and Vision 2030, we require a secure environment for the economy to thrive. We also need to confront drug barons who are ruining the youth, said Sheikh Ngao.
Source: Reuters