Somali pirates seize Egyptian ship and 28 crew

SOMALI pirates seized an Egyptian cargo ship and its 28 crew members yesterday while a Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked in the new year’s first attacks by pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden.

Fifteen armed pirates snatched the Egyptian vessel, called Blue Star, after the ship exited the Red Sea and entered the gulf, carrying a cargo of 6,000 tonnes of fertiliser, said Egyptian deputy foreign minister Ahmed Rizq.

The pirates then steered the ship toward the coast of Somalia, Rizq said.

He said contacts were under way with “international and regional parties” to get the ship released, which likely meant there were attempts to negotiate with the pirates.

In the other attack on Thursday, a Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker carrying a full load of oil when it was attacked by two skiffs, one of which carried seven pirates dressed in military-style uniforms, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center.

“They came close to the ship and started firing machine guns, hitting the bridge and the accommodation area,” Choong told the Associated Press. The pirates, believed to be Somalis, tried to board the vessel several times while “firing repeatedly” but failed, he said.

The captain increased the ship’s speed to maximum, made evasive manoeuvres and sent an SOS, which was received by a Malaysian frigate, KD Sri Inderah Sakti, 15 nautical miles away, he said.

The frigate sent a light military helicopter, which arrived within minutes, and the pirates stopped firing and fled, said Choong.

There were no injuries to the crew, but the tanker sustained some damage, Choong said, adding that if the Malaysians hadn’t arrived the tanker “would have been certainly hijacked.”

It was not clear how far apart in distance and timing the attacks on the Egyptian and Indian vessels took place. The Indian tanker had been heading into the Red Sea toward the Suez Canal when attacked.

The attacks come as more countries are sending warships to join a multinational naval force to protect commercial vessels passing through one of the world’s most important sea routes. Another Egyptian ship was saved on Christmas Day by a German helicopter.