Tuesday, Jul 19, 2011
Gulf News
Dubai A UAE oil tanker’s crew of 16, hijacked by nine Somali pirates on Saturday, has joined the swelling ranks of 417 maritime hostages missing on the high seas off the Horn of Africa, according to a naval military force patrolling the area.
The fate of the UAE-owned oil tanker MV Jubba XX is unknown after the 4,831-tonne vessel was attacked by Somali pirates and the ship was reportedly being taken toward the northern coast of Somalia.
It is the 19th ship to be hijacked and still unaccounted for in the last two years, say military officials, not counting “an unknown number of unconfirmed dhows and smaller vessels.”
No information
“There is no information on the condition of the crew and the vessel was not registered with [Maritime Security Centre — Horn of Africa] at the time of the piracy,” said the European Union Naval Force Somalia (Eunavfor) in a statement issued to Gulf News yesterday.
The crew comprises one Sri Lankan, five Indians, three Bangladeshis, one Sudanese, one Myanmar national, one Kenyan and four Somalis, according to a statement issued by Commander Harrie Harrison, of the Royal Navy and spokesperson for Eunavfor.
“Late on the morning of July 16, it was reported by the owners that the MV Jubba XX, a laden tanker, had been pirated in the northern Indian Ocean, on her regular route from the UAE to the port of Berbera, Somalia,” the naval force statement said.
“On the morning of July 17, the vessel was located by a Maritime Patrol aircraft 100 nautical miles north-west of Socotra Island, heading to the northern Somali coast,” it added.
By Derek Baldwin?Business Features Reporter
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