'The future is dark and gloomy'
A Myanmar cyclone victim says she is lucky to have survived cyclone Nargis, but fears the future.
Too late?
Hillary Clinton may have thumped Barack Obama in West Virginia, but she's still behind.
Search News24
     World : News Get News24 on your mobile Terms & conditions 
Homepage
World
News
US Elections
South Africa
Africa
Sport
Entertainment
Sci-Tech
Finance
Health
Galleries
 
Zimbabwe
Power Crisis
US Elections
Aids Focus
More...
 
MyNews24
Columnists
Sports Columnists
Feedback
 
National Lottery
UK Lottery
Travel
Competitions
Horoscopes
TV Guides
Classifieds
Super 14 game
 
Sudoku
Scrabble
Wacky Words
Word Cube
Creepy Crossword
Golf Solitaire
Battleship
 
Stidy
Urban Trash
Treknet
 
Newsletters
Weather

Cape Town:
15-19°C

Durban:
18-26°C

Johannesburg:
7-22°C

Weather Page

Traffic
Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape Western Cape
All regions
Indicators
Rand/$ 7.5100
Rand/£ 14.7100
Rand/€ 11.6900
Gold/oz $881.28
Gold Mining 2491.64
+0.00%
All-share index 32647.43
+0.00%
 
Afrikaans
English

Pirates hijack ship off Somalia
07/12/2005 00:36  - (SA)  

  • WFP re-opens land route for aid
  • Hijacked cargo ship freed
  • Somali govt wants arms
  • Pirates release hijacked ship
  • Piracy increase 'alarming'
  • Nairobi - A merchant vessel has been reported hijacked in the pirate-infested waters off Somalia in what is feared to be the latest in a surge of attacks on commercial shipping in the region.

    If confirmed, the hijacking would be the fifth ship in the area in the hands of pirates and the 33rd attack on ships in and around Somali waters since mid-March.

    Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme (SAP) said his organisation was told that a ship of unknown ownership and registry had been seized on Tuesday.

    Mwangura said: "We were called by traders who frequent the Mogadishu-Mombasa route and told that a new merchant ship had been hijacked off north-eastern Somalia.

    He said the reports indicated the vessel was taken near the Somali town of Haradere.

    One ship freed

    The town is considered a base for pirates. The recent attacks have prompted dire warnings to avoid the coast and calls for foreign intervention.

    Until Tuesday, the International Maritime Board (IMB) had recorded 32 hijackings in the area since March 15, including a November 5 attack on a United States-owned luxury ocean liner and two freighters carrying food aid for the United Nations.

    In the past two weeks, Somali pirates have freed a hijacked Kenyan-owned cargo ship, the MV Torgelow, and its 10-man crew, as well as an Ukrainian vessel, the MV Panagia, with its crew of 22. Both ships were seized in October.

    Before Tuesday's hijacking, Somali pirates held at least four hijacked vessels - the Thai-owned MV Laemthong Glory, with an unknown number of crew, and three Taiwanese fishing boats with 48 sailors.

    The spate of attacks has prompted warnings for mariners to stay at least 200 nautical miles from the coast, and sparked calls for Somalia's unpatrolled waters to be declared a war zone.

     
     



    About us | Advertise | Contact us | Job opportunities | Press Releases | Site map

    Back to top
     Sponsored links
    Life Insurance
    Car Insurance
    UK Lottery
    First for Women
    Your Homeloan
    Bid or Buy
    Medical Aid
    Education
    SA TV online
    Car Rental
    Credit cards
    Personal Loans
    Best Car Deals
    Compare Quotes
    Life Insurance for Women