Ships held by Somali pirates

Somali pirates said on Tuesday they had seized a yacht in the Indian Ocean with a British couple aboard and were taking the vessel to the Horn of Africa nation.

Here is a list of ships under the control of Somali pirates:

WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized on April 6, 2009.

ARIANA: Seized on May 2, 2009. Ariana was seized north of Madagascar en route to the Middle East from Brazil. The 24 Ukrainian crew were said to be unhurt. The ship, flying a Maltese flag, belongs to All Oceans shipping in Greece.

CHARELLE: Seized on June 12, 2009. The 2,800-tonne cargo ship carrying about nine crew was attacked south of Oman.

ALAKRANA: Seized on Oct. 2, 2009. The 3,716-tonne fishing vessel has a crew of 36 and a home port in the Spanish Basque Country. The Seychelles coastguard said the ship was seized 400 nautical miles northwest of Mahe. The vessel had previously escaped an attempted hijack on Sept. 4.

KOTA WAJAR: Seized on Oct. 15, 2009. The 24,637-tonne container ship, seized 300 nautical miles north of Seychelles, was heading for the Kenyan port of Mombasa from Singapore. It had 21 crew on board.

DE XIN HAI - Seized on Oct. 19, 2009. The Chinese bulk carrier carried about 76,000 tonnes of coal and there were 25 Chinese crew aboard when it was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 550 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia. The vessel is owned by the Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co.

AL KHALIQ - Seized on Oct. 22, 2009. The Panamanian-registered ship carried 26 crew, 24 of whom are Indian. The ship is owned and operated by SNP Shipping of Mumbai. The 1984-built, 38,305 dwt bulk carrier was seized around 180 nautical miles west of Seychelles.

LYNN RIVAL - Seized Oct. 2009. A British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, were sailing to the east African country of Tanzania when they were seized on their 38-foot yacht.

* PIRACY FACTS:

-- Piracy attacks around the world numbered 324 during the year to October 20, with 37 vessels hijacked and 639 hostages taken. In the same period in 2008 there were 194 attacks, 36 ships hijacked and 631 hostages, according to the latest figures from the ICC International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB).

-- Of the 324 incidents, attacks by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Somalia, numbered 174, with 35 vessels hijacked and 587 crew taken hostage .

-- Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.

Sources: Reuters/Ecoterra International/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net

 

 

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