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Pirates steal UK cargo ship
15/05/2007 11:29 - (SA)
Monrovia - Machete-wielding pirates boarded a British cargo ship over the weekend, forced its crew to disembark and stole the ship, the vessel's captain said on Monday.
A UN helicopter saw the 3 500-ton ship being towed away and one person was arrested in connection with the incident, UN spokesperson Ben Malor said.
Two boats towed the vessel deep into neighbouring Ivory Coast's waters, Malor said.
The ship, the MV Tahoma Reefer, ran into engine problems off Liberia's coast and docked in Monrovia, where the crew was awaiting mechanical help, said Volodymr Shteynberh, the ship's captain.
Four days after it docked on Saturday, two fishing boats approached the cargo ship and around 25 pirates jumped aboard brandishing machetes, Shteynberh said.
The captain said three crew members were injured before the ship was towed away in the direction of Ivory Coast. "Two received cuts on their heads," Shteynberh said.
The ship was carrying several thousand tons of fuel used to power the vessel.
Shteynberh said he was worried that if the fuel spills into the ocean, "it will cause serious ecological problems for the coast and for the region."
The ship was sailing under the flag of the Caribbean nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
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