Freed Greek-owned bulk carrier arrives in Salalah

• Text size
•  
•  

MUSCAT -- A Greek-owned freighter that was released by Somali pirates earlier this week arrived at the Port of Salalah yesterday on a roughly four-day stopover in the Sultanate.

The Navios Apollon, a 52,000 DWT bulk carrier, was freed on February 27, just over two months after its seizure off the Seychelles in the Indian October on December 28, 2009.

According to maritime officials, the Panama-flagged cargo ship sailed into Salalah on its own power and docked at the transhipment hub's General Cargo Terminal yesterday morning. The vessel's Greek captain and 18 Filipino sailors are said to be generally in good health and excellent spirits.

During its Oman stay, the bulker is due to receive fresh supplies of water and provisions for the next leg of its journey to Rozy on India's west coast where it is due to discharge its cargo of rock phosphate. It was not immediately clear if a crew change was on the cards during the ship's Salalah stopover.

Owned and operated by Navios Maritime Partners of Greece, the 190-metre-long Navios Apollon was captured by an armed band when it was en route from Tampa (USA) to Jamnagar on India's Gujarat coast. As with a majority of seized ships, the Apollon's release followed a ransom payout.

Salalah -- the Sultanate's transhipment hub overlooking the Indian Ocean -- is typically the first port of call for newly freed ships seeking a safe haven after prolonged periods in captivity at the hands of Somali based pirate gangs.

The Navios Apollon is the second such vessel to call Salalah this year. Earlier in January, the Maltese-flagged cargo ship, MV Ariana, chose Salalah as its first port of call following its release after roughly seven months in captivity.

Hijacked vessels that have made brief stopovers at Salalah, and sometimes even Muscat, during the past year include the German-owned cargo ship, MV Charelle, the chemical tanker Stolt Strength, CEC Future -- a vessel operated by the Danish Clipper Elite Carrier, MV African Sanderling -- a Panama-flagged bulk, the Turkish tanker MT Karagol, the Panama-flagged chemical tanker MT Action, and the Liberian flagged product tanker MV Biscaglia.

By Conrad Prabhu

© Oman Daily Observer 2010