Somali pirates have hijacked an Italian oil tanker with 22 crew members in the Indian Ocean, EU anti-piracy taskforce confirmed on Tuesday.
European Union Naval Force Somalia spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said the Italian flagged and owned MV Savina Caylyn was hijacked early Tuesday approximately 670 nautical miles East of Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean. "The vessel was boarded after a sustained attack by one skiff with five suspected pirates firing small arms and four rocket propelled grenades," O'Kennedy said. He noted that the vessel which has deadweight of 104,255 tonnes was on passage to Pasir Gudang, Malaysia from Bashayer, Sudan when it was attacked.
"There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew of 22, 5 Italians and 17 Indians," he said. The MV Savina Caylyn had registered with the Maritime Security Centre �C Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and was reporting to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
O'Kennedy said the EU anti-piracy mission is monitoring the situation. The EU force has five warships from Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Britain and one aircraft from Spain. Other navies include those of South Korea, China, Malaysia and Japan among others.
Data from the EU naval force showed that as a result of increased policing, piracy attacks have decreased.
There were 30 successful and unsuccessful pirate attacks in January, compared to 174 attacks in January 2010 and 163 in 2009. The number of the pirate ships has decreased to 7 in January, from 47 ships in 2010 and 46 ships in 2009.
Source: Xinhua
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