Sultanate is generally the first port of call for hijacked
ships after gaining their release from their Somali captors
MUSCAT -- A Japanese-managed bulk carrier that was released by Somalia-based pirates over the weekend after being held for nearly 80 days, is due to arrive in Muscat later this week, according to maritime officials. MV Stella Maris, owned by Turtle Marine Shipping and managed by MMS Company of Japan, is currently en route to the Sultanate from the Somali pirate den of Eyl, where it had been held since its capture by an armed gang on July 20. The vessel is scheduled to make a brief port call at Port Sultan Qaboos on Thursday, October 16, 2008 for supplies and a crew change, it is learnt.
The 52,000-ton Panamanian flagged vessel, with its 20-plus mainly Filipino crew, was seized during a voyage through the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. It was carrying a cargo of zinc and lead at the time. As with a succession of hijacked ships that have won their release from captivity, the Stella Maris and its crew were set free after a hefty ransom payment, according to media reports. In Muscat, authorities are making arrangements for the arrival of the huge bulk carrier, which will temporarily dock at one of the container berths at Port Sultan Qaboos.
Representatives from the Japanese ship management firm MMS are expected to fly into Muscat ahead of the port call. A fresh complement of crew members will take the place of those on board the Stella Maris during its stopover in Muscat. The 20-member, all-Filipino crew are said to be generally in good health, but exhausted from their roughly three-month-long ordeal at the hands of the pirates. A team of doctors is also expected to be in attendance when the bulk carrier comes alongside on Thursday, it is learnt.
Given its relative proximity to the Gulf of Aden, the Sultanate is generally the first port of call for hijacked ships seeking to top up on supplies of bunker, water and food after gaining their release from their Somali captors. In recent months, two vessels -- MV Lehmann Timber and BBC Trinidad -- stopped over at Salalah and Muscat respectively after winning their freedom from captivity.
Adding to concerns about the likely impact of the upsurge in piracy attacks on shipping costs, a cargo vessel carrying a shipment of cement from Salalah to Somalia was seized off the Horn of Africa on Thursday night. MV Wael, a Panamanian-registered freighter, was hijacked off the coast of Puntland in northeast Somalia with a shipment of 3,000 tonnes of supplied by Salalah-based Raysut Cement Company. The consignment was destined for a trader based in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeast Somalia.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
