- Title: KENYA: Seafarers official says tugboat seized by pirates
- Date: 12th April 2009
- Summary: MOMBASA, KENYA (APRIL 11, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SEAFARERS ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL, ANDREW MWANGURA, ON PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SEAFARERS ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL, ANDREW MWANGURA SAYING: "We are informed that a U.S. owned tug boat, towing two barges, has been taken off the coast of Aden, within Aden, through the waters of Aden, gulf of Aden while underway towing two ba
- Embargoed: 27th April 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA25R75WM5AT49T0NVCESWJKZKS
- Story Text: Pirates seize a U.S. - owned and Italian operated tugboat with 16 crew.
Pirates seized a U.S.-owned and Italian-flagged tugboat with 16 crew on Saturday (April 11), the latest hijacking in the busy Gulf of Aden waterway, a regional maritime group said.
Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said the crew were believed to be unharmed on the tugboat, which he added was operated from the United Arab Emirates.
"We are informed that a U.S. owned tug boat, towing two barges, has been taken off the coast of Aden, within Aden, through the waters of Aden, gulf of Aden while underway towing two barges. On both the tugboats there are about 16 crew members but we dont know the composition of the nationalities yet and the tug boat is flying an Italian flag," Mwangura said.
He said the tugboat was towing two barges at the time of capture but there were no details on their cargo.
"We have about 267 seafarers from different nationalities majority being Filipinos and no one is talking about them but everyone is talking about one American being taken captive, hostage, by the Somali gunmen. So we find it as hypocrisy because when it comes to seamen from Asian or eastern block no one talks about them," Mwangura added.
NATO alliance officials on board the Portuguese warship NRB Corte-Real, which is patrolling the Gulf of Aden, said a distress call came from the MV Buccaneer tugboat but communications were lost six minutes later.
They said 10 of the tugboat's crew were Italian citizens.
Somali pirates have stepped up attacks in March after a lull at the start of 2009.
International interest has focused this week on the plight of a U.S.
hostage, Richard Phillips, held by four pirates on a lifeboat flanked by U.S.
naval warships in a high seas standoff since Wednesday (April 8). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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