There is no current information about the Bulgarian crew of hijacked Panega tanker, major general Buster Howes, head of Europes Operation Atalanta, has told Focus news agency.
According to an interview with the British royal marines commando officer, once a vessel is hijacked by pirates, the mission has no contact with the crew, so as to avoid any interference in negotiations, Focus reported.
International observers, over the past 20 or so months, have noticed that the Somali pirates scope of operations has expanded.
In 2005, the pirates used to operate about 165 sea miles from the shore, while now they are operating at around 1300 sea miles from the Somali coast, Howes said.
The commandant general of the royal marines is responsible for advising the First Sea Lord, with line responsibility for all RM units worldwide.
European Union Naval Force Somalia Operation Atlanta is a military operation conducted by the European Union to help deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robberies off the coast of Somalia, as noted by the official mission statement.
This military operation was launched in support of Resolutions 1814, 1816, 1838 and 1846, adopted in 2008 by the United Nations Security Council.
To date, 17 ships and about 409 sailors have been held captive by Somali pirates in different locations around the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden, according to Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov, addressing Parliament two weeks ago.
Of that number, a Bulgarian-flagged tanker Panega, with 15 sailors on board, is still held captive. The sailors condition is reported to be good, although one Bulgarian sailor has been shot.
According to the latest statistics, about 2000 Bulgarian mariners sail under foreign-flagged ships, Mladenov said. Many of them are threatened because they sail in troubled waters around the Gulf of Aden, bTV reported.
Several international military missions are ongoing in the region, aimed at curtailing piracy in the high seas, and about 50 pirate groups have been neutralised, Mladenov said.
The Bulgarian Governments stance on the matter is that the resolution of any such crisis is the sole responsibility of the ships owners and the company that charters the vessel. We can provide assistance and support, but ultimately, action has to be taken by them, Mladenov said.
Reportedly, Operation Atalanta, together with other states and and military support, has improved its efficiency in thwarting pirate assaults, the report said. In 2009, about 21 ship hijackings had been prevented, as opposed to 84 so far this year.
Source:shiptalk