Somali pirates hijack India-bound Singapore tanker

Singapore, Jan 2 (PTI) Somali pirates hijacked an
India-bound Singapore flagged chemical tanker with a crew of
24 on board in the Gulf of Yemen, marking the first seizure in
the area this year, the government said Saturday.
The tanker was the third vessel to be seized since August
in the region, patrolled heavily by foreign navies.
Most of the crew members are believed to be 17
Indonesians, but also include five Chinese nationals, a
Nigerian and a Vietnamese, Kyodo reported, quoting Singapore
maritime officials.
The 19,998-tonne tanker M T Pramoni was travelling from
Genoa in Italy to Kandla in India with the cargo.
On Monday, pirates seized the St James Park, a UK-flagged
chemical tanker with a crew of 26 from nine different
countries, including India.
While Yemeni authorities said the same day a Yemeni
freighter with 15 crew members had also been hijacked.
Since the end of the summer, Somali pirates had abandoned
the Gulf of Aden for the wide open seas of the Indian Ocean,
venturing as far as the Seychelles and beyond.
The latest capture brings to at least 12 ships and around
270 seamen currently held by Somalia pirates. PTI MRD
DDC


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