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Somali pirates have seized a Kenyan longliner vessel in the Indian Ocean. (Map: Stock File)
Somali pirates hijack Kenyan longliner
SPAIN
Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 02:10 (GMT + 9)
A surface longliner fishing vessel under the Kenyan flag, which had previously been registered in Spain, was forcibly seized in Indian Ocean waters by Somali pirates.
The Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs confirmed that the Kenyan ship’s owner is also from that African country.
The skipper of the vessel Sakoba is Portuguese but was naturalised Spanish, and the rest of the crew – about 16 workers – are of different nationalities.
The ship targets swordfish, shark and marlin, and operates with the company Malaca Shipping, with a base in O Berbes (Vigo), that commercialises its products.
The Sakoba is 32 metres in length, and previously belonged to the Spanish census, though it now flies the Kenyan flag.
When intercepted by pirates, the fishing vessel was reportedly off the Somali coast, near Mogadishu, according to EFE.
The Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA) clarified that the hijacked vessel is not a member of the organisation, and assured it did not have knowledge of the details of the incident. It also ruled out making declarations or issuing more comments.
This hijacking follows pirate attacks last week on three Basque ships, two of them with a crew that is part Galician. No injuries were reported.
Some days ago, the tuna fishing vessel Albacan, owned by shipowner firm Albacora, of Bermeo, managed to elude another boarding attempt by a group of Somali pirates while it conducted fishing operations in the Indian Ocean.
The attack took place some 260 miles off the coast, near the border between Kenya and Somalia.
The tuna vessel crew detected the presence of a speedboat from where a grenade launcher was fired. It reached the hull of the vessel without causing major damage or injuries.
The Albacan at the time carried three security agents on board who were able to repel the pirate attack.
Related article:
- Basque tuna vessel fends off pirates
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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