Hoax: Panamanian cargo-ship sea-jack off Yemeni coast not confirmed
International Desk
November 30, 2009
The Greek-owned, 1977 built, Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV RED SEA SPIRIT was reported to have been seized Friday off the southeast coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. Yemen's Interior Ministry stated Saturday. The 145m long bulker with a gross tonnage of 10,968 had left Aden port late Thursday and was according to Yemeni officials allegedly intercepted by the pirates after sailing about 36 nautical miles off the Yemeni port of Balhaf.
The vessel is not covered by an ITF Agreement and the crew-list of presumed not less than 20 sailors was not yet made available. Greek company CARSON SHIPPING is registered as owner, while SEKUR HOLDINGS INC is managing the vessel. Both companies reside in Piraeus, Greece but didn't respond to the information requests of seafarer families. The multinational coalition task force (CTF 150/1) had sent one of its naval boats to the specific area where the hijacking took place in an attempt to save the ship, the Yemeni coast guard was quoted by the official statement as saying, while EU NAVFOR did not clarify.
Only on November 22 the Greek coast guard command clarified that a Greek-managed bulk carrier was attacked by armed pirates off the coast of Yemen on Nov. 16 although attempts to board the vessel were unsuccessful. The vessel eluded two pirate speedboats after its skipper took evasive measures at sea, the coastguard said and according to the shipping company Secure Hold, the Panamanian-flagged vessel is continuing its course for Karachi, Pakistan.
It is remarkable how reluctant the EU NAVFOR headquarters under UK command is concerning incidences, which do not concern vessels registered with the operation Atalanta. Likewise the most basic rules of maritime tradition and ethics are now more and more violated by merchant and fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean, which mostly do no longer stop and care to rescue seafarers around the Horn of Africa using the argument that they fear to be trapped by Somali pirates.
According to communications with the bridge of the concerned vessel and luckily the MV RED SEA SPIRIT is actually not commandeered towards the Somali coast and the whole issue turned out to be a hoax, though many media reported the vessel as hijacked, following that initial statement on a Yemeni governmental website, which still has not been corrected.
Families of the crew on board therefore became very anxious because they believed these reports and thought their relatives had been abducted.
The vessel is not covered by an ITF Agreement and the crew-list of presumed not less than 20 sailors was not yet made available. Greek company CARSON SHIPPING is registered as owner, while SEKUR HOLDINGS INC is managing the vessel. Both companies reside in Piraeus, Greece but didn't respond to the information requests of seafarer families. The multinational coalition task force (CTF 150/1) had sent one of its naval boats to the specific area where the hijacking took place in an attempt to save the ship, the Yemeni coast guard was quoted by the official statement as saying, while EU NAVFOR did not clarify.
Only on November 22 the Greek coast guard command clarified that a Greek-managed bulk carrier was attacked by armed pirates off the coast of Yemen on Nov. 16 although attempts to board the vessel were unsuccessful. The vessel eluded two pirate speedboats after its skipper took evasive measures at sea, the coastguard said and according to the shipping company Secure Hold, the Panamanian-flagged vessel is continuing its course for Karachi, Pakistan.
It is remarkable how reluctant the EU NAVFOR headquarters under UK command is concerning incidences, which do not concern vessels registered with the operation Atalanta. Likewise the most basic rules of maritime tradition and ethics are now more and more violated by merchant and fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean, which mostly do no longer stop and care to rescue seafarers around the Horn of Africa using the argument that they fear to be trapped by Somali pirates.
According to communications with the bridge of the concerned vessel and luckily the MV RED SEA SPIRIT is actually not commandeered towards the Somali coast and the whole issue turned out to be a hoax, though many media reported the vessel as hijacked, following that initial statement on a Yemeni governmental website, which still has not been corrected.
Families of the crew on board therefore became very anxious because they believed these reports and thought their relatives had been abducted.