Pirates that hijacked a bunker tanker off Somalia on Tuesday are demanding a ransom, according to the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor).
It said it had received “positive confirmation” from the master of the 1,800-dwt Comoros-flagged Aris 13 (built 1991), that his ship and crew are being held captive by a number of suspected armed pirates in an anchorage off the north coast of Puntland.
“The master confirmed that armed men were on board his ship and they were demanding a ransom for the ship’s release,” EU Navfor said.
According to AIS data from Genscape, the vessel has moved 20 nautical miles, from Caluula to Xabo.
It appears that its cargo has been discharged between 13 and 14 March, after pirates boarded the ship.
EU Navfor confirmed to TradeWinds the vessel is currently at Xabo but it is unclear if it has been released or if the cargo has been stolen.
A EU Navfor aircraft is monitoring the situation.
The attack on the Aris 13 came shortly after the master issued a mayday alert to say that two skiffs were closing in on his ship in the Gulf of Aden.
“Upon receipt of the mayday alert, an EU Naval Force maritime patrol aircraft was launched from its base in Djibouti to overfly the tanker and make radio contact with the ship’s master,” EU Navfor said.
“Despite hailing the ship several times, no contact was made and the situation on board remained unclear until late Tuesday afternoon, when the EU Navfor operational HQ in London was able to make telephone contact with the ship’s master.”
The EU Navfor said it has now passed the information regarding the incident to the ship’s owners and that all available assets are continuing to monitor the situation.
On Tuesday TradeWinds reported that pirates had boarded an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia in what was believed to have been the first hijacking in the region in five years.
Bryher Bailey, head of global sales and marketing at Ambrey Risk, told TradeWinds that the hijack demonstrated that there remains a "continued risk to commercial shipping in the area".
