Somali Pirates Get Tanker and Crew in First Attacks of 2010

Somali pirates grabbed an Indonesian chemical tanker with 24 crew members in the Gulf of Aden.



The Singapore-flagged "PRAMONI" was captured enroute to India and it is reported to be the third vessel seized since August in this particular region, which is being patrolled by foreign navies. On board the 20,000 DWT chemical tanker are 17 Indonesians, five Chinese nationals, a Nigerian and a Vietnamese. According to the EU’s Atalante force, the ship’s master reported via radio that the ship had been hijacked, but that the crew had not been harmed. He also said the pirates were taking the ship to Somalia.



On Monday, pirates seized the ST. JAMES PARK, a UK-flagged chemical tanker with a crew of 26 from nine different countries. And, Yemeni authorities said on the same day that a Yemeni freighter with 15 crew members had also been taken.



Since the end of the summer monsoon season allowed pirate attacks to resume in earnest just three months ago, 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 Somali pirates now have captured 12 ships and approximately 270 seamen are currently thought to be held.