The Palestine Telegraph
by Anwar Al-Shoaybi
Sunday, April 18, 2010
They said the boat owner reported the incident to the Yemeni coastguard after he lost contact with the crew members.
Search operations are in full swing in an attempt to find the vessel, according to the sources.
Security sources didn’t rule out the boat was hijacked by Somali pirates operating offshore Yemen.
A statement from the Yemeni interior ministry said that the boat with four crewmen was reported missing several days ago.
Coastguard forces are still searching for the vessel and crew members, the statement said.
Last week, a Yemeni fishing boat with three fishermen onboard was seized by Somalia pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
According to Yemeni media sources, the pirates led the fishermen with their boat to an undisclosed location.
Yemeni fishermen have long been complaining of recurrent pirate attacks in the Yemeni territorial waters. Piracy has been growing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden due to the anarchy and chaos overwhelming Somalia since the collapse of President Siad Barre’s regime in 1991.
Source: The Palestine Telegraph