Thu Oct 29, 2009
Somali pirates have again evaded the international naval presence off Somalia, capturing a Thai-flagged north of the Seychelles.
The Thai 'Union 3' came under attack early on Thursday by pirates from two skiffs and was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, the European Union Naval Force (NAVFOR) said.
A NAVFOR statement said that a helicopter patrol had spotted the pirates' skiffs onboard the vessel some 230 miles (370 kilometers) north of the Seychelles.
The fishing vessel appears to be heading for the Somali coast, it added.
Thai Union Frozen Products, Asia's biggest canned tuna exporter, confirmed the attack, saying it had 25 crew members on board, none of them Thais. The company did not elaborate on the crew's nationalities.
According to NAVFOR figures, the pirates are holding seven other ships along Somalia's coastline, in defiance of a naval fleet from 16 nations patrolling the dangerous pirate-infested Gulf of Aden waters.
The pirates are also growing fiercer in their attitude towards the hostages. While the sea bandits would usually leave the crew unharmed in exchange for ransoms, they are now issuing more serious threats.
Last Friday, the pirates threatened to kill dozens of Ukrainian crew onboard a hijacked Greek freighter should their ransom demands be ignored. On Wednesday, another group of pirates, holding a fishing boat with 36 crew, warned that unless their arrested comrades were freed, they would hand over some of the hostages to the families of the detainees.
Despite efforts to bring back safety to the waters, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the global piracy attacks has not only exceeded the 2008 milestone so far this year, but it has tripled in number compared to the same period, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/109948.html.
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