11 October 2008
MUSCAT -- Maritime officials have confirmed that a cargo vessel carrying a consignment of bagged cement from Salalah to Somalia was seized in pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa on Thursday night. MV Wael, a Panamanian-registered freighter, had earlier taken delivery of a shipment of 60,000 bags of cement weighing around 3,000 tonnes, from Salalah-based Raysut Cement Company. The consignment was destined for a trader based in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeast Somalia.
International news agencies, quoting a senior government official of Puntland, said the vessel was hijacked some 350 km off the Horn of Africa. It is now being held by an armed gang some 270 km off the coast of Puntland. Sources in the Sultanate said the MV Wael has been a frequent caller at the Port of Salalah, having taken delivery of a number of cement shipments in the past. The latest visit last week involved a consignment delivered by Raysut Cement on a free-on-board (FOB) basis. The consignee has been named as Trans-African, a Somalia-based trading firm.
The upsurge in hijackings by Somalia-based pirates in the Gulf of Aden has heightened concerns among shippers in Oman who fear the seizures will provoke an increase in shipping insurance premiums and freight costs. Last month, pirates released a German-operated cargo ship more than three weeks after it was seized en route to Muscat. The operators of the Antigua and Barbuda flagged BBC Trinidad acknowledged that a ransom amount was paid to the pirates to secure the release of the vessel and its crew.
Earlier, in July, another German cargo ship arrived at the Port of Salalah at the end of a roughly six-week-long ordeal at the hands of Somali pirates. The MV Lehmann Timber was released some seven weeks after it was seized during a voyage to the German port of Rostock. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Somali based pirates are behind more than 68 vessel attacks so far this year, resulting in 27 hijackings and 534 seafarers being held hostage. Nearly a dozen vessels are still being held by pirates.
MUSCAT -- Maritime officials have confirmed that a cargo vessel carrying a consignment of bagged cement from Salalah to Somalia was seized in pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa on Thursday night. MV Wael, a Panamanian-registered freighter, had earlier taken delivery of a shipment of 60,000 bags of cement weighing around 3,000 tonnes, from Salalah-based Raysut Cement Company. The consignment was destined for a trader based in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeast Somalia.
International news agencies, quoting a senior government official of Puntland, said the vessel was hijacked some 350 km off the Horn of Africa. It is now being held by an armed gang some 270 km off the coast of Puntland. Sources in the Sultanate said the MV Wael has been a frequent caller at the Port of Salalah, having taken delivery of a number of cement shipments in the past. The latest visit last week involved a consignment delivered by Raysut Cement on a free-on-board (FOB) basis. The consignee has been named as Trans-African, a Somalia-based trading firm.
The upsurge in hijackings by Somalia-based pirates in the Gulf of Aden has heightened concerns among shippers in Oman who fear the seizures will provoke an increase in shipping insurance premiums and freight costs. Last month, pirates released a German-operated cargo ship more than three weeks after it was seized en route to Muscat. The operators of the Antigua and Barbuda flagged BBC Trinidad acknowledged that a ransom amount was paid to the pirates to secure the release of the vessel and its crew.
Earlier, in July, another German cargo ship arrived at the Port of Salalah at the end of a roughly six-week-long ordeal at the hands of Somali pirates. The MV Lehmann Timber was released some seven weeks after it was seized during a voyage to the German port of Rostock. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Somali based pirates are behind more than 68 vessel attacks so far this year, resulting in 27 hijackings and 534 seafarers being held hostage. Nearly a dozen vessels are still being held by pirates.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
