Another Ship Hijacked Near Somalia
The Somali pirates hijacked another dry-cargo vessel, Cec Future of Denmark, past week. The hostages are 13 crew members, including 11 Russians. Neither the NATO naval forces nor Russia’s frigate Neustrashimy had prevented hijackers from their audacious attack.
The pirates of Somalia hijacked Danish Cec Future of Clipper Group Co. loaded with metal cargo in the Gulf of Aden. Built in 1994 in Denmark, the vessel that sails under the Bahamian flag was heading for Batam port of Indonesia. Its shipping capacity reaches 7,120 tons. The first reports about the capture were received early Saturday. According to media, the pirates attacked the ship near Somalia Friday, at around 12:40 a.m., GMT.
The crew consists of 13 sailors, 11 Russians, a Georgian and a Lithuanian. All of them are alive and unharmed, Clipper Group said.
The hijackers haven’t established the contact and their demands are unknown. The usual ransom claimed by Somali pirates amounts to $2 million.
Piracy is rife off Somalia. Under the UN estimate, the pirates hijacked roughly 60 foreign ships in 2008. Their latest victim of worldwide resonance is the tank-loaded Ukrainian merchant vessel, the MV Faina. The pirates haven’t released the crew of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians (one of them Captain Vladimir Kolobkov died of the heart attack) and a Latvian yet.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 10, 2008
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