- Title: KENYA: Somali pirates seize German vessel, crew unhurt
- Date: 26th April 2009
- Summary: MOMBASA, KENYA (APRIL 25, 2009) (REUTERS) EAST AFRICAN SEAFARERS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, ANDREW MWANGURA WALKING INDIAN OCEAN WITH A SHIP IN THE DISTANCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANDREW MWANGURA, EAST AFRICAN SEAFARERS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, SAYING: "A German owned Malta-flagged - a bulk carrier, MV Patriot - has been taken by Somali pirates in the Gulf of A
- Embargoed: 11th May 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Reuters ID: LVAAZZFUF9DTQ7AE39YTBBBEMVED
- Story Text: Somali pirates have seized a 31,000-tonne German grain carrier in the Gulf of Aden but the ship's 17 crew members are unhurt, a Kenyan maritime official said on Saturday (April 25).
The Malta-flagged MV Patriot is owned by Patriot Schiffahrts and managed by Blumenthal JMK of Hamburg, Germany, said Andrew Mwangura, director of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme.
"A German owned Malta-flagged - a bulk carrier, MV Patriot - has been taken by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The ship on board has 17 crew members and we are informed all of them are safe and sound. She is a bulk carrier of about 31,000 tonnes," Mwangura said.
The Foreign Ministry in Berlin said it could not confirm the German vessel had been seized.
Piracy attacks off the eastern African coast have escalated in recent weeks despite the presence of a flotilla of foreign navy warships in the region.
Sea gangs there hold more than 250 hostages and have made millions of dollars through ransoms, driving up insurance costs. Some shipping lines now opt to use a longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid capture.
Hijackings rose nearly 200 percent to 111 in 2008. So far this year, there have been around 40 incidents. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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