Tag: Montecristo

The message in a bottle was used after the pirates cut off all other means of communication On Tuesday, UK and US forces saved 23 crew members aboard a cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates. Upon being hijacked, the crew consisting of 7 Italians, 6 Ukrainians, and 10 Indians, locked themselves in a secure area away from where the pirates boarded on Monday, Italian official Ignazio La Russa told AP.Shockingly, what saved the Montecristo crewman was dispersing a message in a bottle from a porthole, alerting ships nearby that the crew was safely sealed inside an armored area of the ship. The message in a bottle was used after the pirates cut off all other means of communication to the hostages. Ships nearby became aware of the state of the 56,000-ton Italian cargo ship, but what made the bottled message so important to their rescue is including their location in the armored room, keying rescuers that an operation could be launched on board without risking injuries to the crew.Two Navy ships, one British and one American, coordinated with NATO's Ocean Shield to carry out the mission 1,000-km off of Somalia. Rubber boats circled the Montecristo, while a helicopter ...

All 23 crew members are now safe A sea captain from near Newport has helped in the rescue of an Italian cargo ship in the Indian Ocean after it was attacked and seized by pirates.The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Fort Victoria, under the command of 53-year-old Captain Shaun Jones, from Haughton, near Gnosall, rescued the cargo ship, off the coast of Somalia.Pirates grabbed the ship on Monday, but the crew took refuge in a secure area and called for help.Capt Jones and his crew of 250 joined forces from the US Navy and rescued the crew after the 11 pirates on board surrendered and were arrested.All 23 crew members of the Montecristo cargo ship, seven Italians, six Ukrainians and 10 Indians, are now safe. Capt Jones, whose wife, Stephanie, is a solicitor, joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a deck cadet in 1974, aged 16.He studied for professional qualifications at the Plymouth School of Maritime Studies and after becoming an officer served on several ships, including on the Sir Tristram during the Falklands War in 1982, in which the ship was heavily damaged and eventually abandoned after action.He was promoted to captain in December 2000 and has since commanded several ...