Monday, April 20, 2009
And in a rare case of good news, pirates released a Lebanese-owned cargo ship after they found out it was headed to pick up food aid for hungry Somalis.
Monday's attack on the MV Atlantica took place 50 kilometres off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, said Lt.-Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, a spokesman for the NATO alliance.
Two boats with about six pirates each attacked the ship and one skiff attempted to board it. The ship took evasive manoeuvres and escaped without damages or injury to its crew, Fernandes said.
Meanwhile, the World Food Program said pirates released the Lebanese-owned MV Sea Horse on Friday. He had no more details and it was not known if a ransom was paid.
The Togo-flagged ship was hijacked April 14 with 19 crew as it headed to Mumbai, India, to pick up over 7,000 tonnes of WFP food destined for Somalia.
Clan elder Abdisalan Khalif Ahmed, speaking to The Associated Press from the pirate haven of Harardhere in Somalia, said gunmen released the ship after they found out it was supposed to pick up food for their own countrymen.
Some pirates have agreed not to target ships carrying relief supplies, but pirate gangs are controlled by rival clans and do not operate in concert.
Source: AP, April 20, 2009