Sunday, February 03, 2008
"The crew of the multipurpose tug-boat Svitser Korsakov signaled the seizure from the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, at 1:17 p.m., on February 1," sources in Sakhalin port authorities told Interfax.
There are two citizens of Britain (the captain and senior mechanic) and four Russian citizens (the headman, second mechanic and two sailors) aboard the ship, which was sailing from St.Petersburg to Sakhalin passing Singapore.
"Radio contact with the crew has been lost. But surveillance gear indicate that following the seizure the ship changed its course and sailed along Somalia's coastline towards Mogadishu," a source said.
A NATO warship was not far from the seized ship, according to witnesses' accounts.
"The Svitser Korsakov was at port Mogadishu as of 9 a.m., on Sunday. The side that seized the ship has not advanced any demands," the source added.
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MOSCOW. Feb 3 (Interfax) - Contact has been regained with the captain of the Svitser Korsakov vessel, seized off Somalia, a source in Sakhalin port authorities told Interfax.
The captain, a British citizen, called to the central office of the ship-owner in Copenhagen and said that all six crewmembers, including the four Russian citizens, remain abroad and are feeling well.
Details of the seizure were not given. The contact lasted for two minutes.
Satellite navigation data indicate that the ship is in the Gulf of Aden off the Island of Socotra, possibly near port Mogadishu. sd
No official confirmation of this report is available to Interfax.
Source: Interfax, Feb 03, 2008