The European UnionNaval Force (EUNAVFOR) reported yesterday that patrol aircraft sighted two lifeboatson a beach approximately 14 miles north of the position of the sunken 1,022-teuAlbedo.
No members of the crew or pirates were sighted in or nearthe lifeboats, and they remain unaccounted for.
The Albedo sank in rough seas on Monday. The vesselhad a crew of 23 on board when it was hijacked in November 2010 when itwas about 900 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.
Seven Pakistani crew members left the ship last year after a ransomwas paid for their release. An Indian crew member died, reportedly fromCholera, and EUNAVFOR estimates there were 15 crew still onboard at the time ofthe vessel’s sinking.
Reutersreported earlier this week that at least four crew members and sevenSomali pirates died when the vessel sank, and 13 others were missing.
“Wehave confirmed that four foreign (crew) and seven pirates died. We are missing13 in total,” a pirate spokesman, who gave his name as Hussein, told Reuters.“We had no boats to save them.”
Thespokesman added that the ship had begun taking on water about a week before itsank.
TheAlbedo was owned by Majestic Enrich Shipping of Malaysia. The company has sincegone out of business.
ENDS
