Thursday, March 26, 2009

Two Chemical Tankers Seized by Somali Pirates

Pirates have hijacked two ships off the Somali coast (via Al-Jazeera):
Pirates have hijacked two chemical tankers near the Somali coast, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has said.

Cyrus Mody, an IMB spokesman, said a Panama-flagged ship, was taken on
Wednesday, and a ship registered in the Bahamas was taken on Thursday.

The US 5th Fleet, which patrols the Gulf of Aden, confirmed both hijackings had taken place within the past 24 hours.

The Panama-flagged vessel is said to be the Greek-owned 9,000-ton Nipayia, manned by 19 crew members. It was attacked 720km off Somalia.

The second vessel is the Norwegian-owned Bow Asir and far larger at 23,000-tonne.

The Bow Asir has 28 crewmembers. Prayers for the crews of both these ships and for all the hostages being held captive by pirates.

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