Somali Pirates Seize Third Boat This Week

Pirates/terrorists have seized three cargo vessels off the coast of Somalia this week alone. So far, the pirates/terrorists have not made any ransom demands. The status of the crew of the three cargo vessels are also unknown at this point. AFP

NAIROBI (AFP) — Pirates have hijacked two freighters off Somalia, bringing to three the number of vessels seized in the same region this week, a Kenyan maritime official said on Thursday.

MV Arean and MV Lehmann Timber were seized in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday near a position where another vessel was seized over the weekend, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme.

"We have confirmed that the pirates are onboard the two vessels, but we have not received any demands for ransom," he told AFP.

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Mwangura said they were yet to receive information about the crew, the vessels' ports of origin and destination.

He said the Turkey-flagged MC Arean was owned by Arkia Company of Malta, but had no information on the MV Lehmann.

On Sunday, hijackers took control of Dutch-owned MV Amiya Scan along with its nine Russian and Filipino crew in the same region that has seen a string of attacks recently.

"Since Sunday, three other ships were attacked but managed to escape," Mwangura said.

The International Maritime Bureau (IBM) urged vessels sailing in the Gulf of Aden to take precautionary measures and maintain a strict 24 hour anti-piracy watch.

"Pirates are firing automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades in an attempt to board and hijack vessels," the bureau said an alert on the region issued Wednesday.

The waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years, are considered to be among the most dangerous in the world.

According to the IBM, more than 25 ships were seized off Somalia's 3,700 kilometres (2,300 miles) of coastline last year despite patrols by an international force based in Djibouti.