News: MV Irene SL Hijacked in North Arabian Sea

During mid-morning 9 February, the Greek-flagged and Panamanian-owned Very Large Crude Carrier, MV IRENE SL, which was carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil, worth roughly $200 million, was reported hijacked in position 2127N 06318E, approximately 350NM Southeast of Muscat in the North Arabian Sea.

"This morning the vessel was attacked by armed men," Greece-based company Enesel said in a statement sent to Reuters, confirming earlier reports from shipbrokers.

MV IRENE SL, with a deadweight of 319,247 tonnes, was on passage to Suez heading for the U.S. Gulf Coast, from Fujairah, when the attack occurred. No communication with the vessel nor any information regarding the condition of the 25-crew comprised of 7 Greeks, 1 Georgian and 17 Filipinos, has been received so far. The Greek-owned ship, MV IRENE EM, was hijacked off the Somali coast in April 2009, only 2 days after the dramatic rescue of the MAERSK ALABAMA Captain. MV IRENE EM, with 22 Filipino crew, was released from pirate control 14 September 2009, reportedly following a ransom payment of $2 million.

MV IRENE SL was registered with MSC(HOA) and had been reporting to UKMTO. EUNAVFOR state that they are monitoring the situation. This hijack comes a day after the hijack of the Italian tanker MV SAVINA CAYLYN, with 22 crew onboard.
Vessels are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly reduce their chances of being pirated if they follow precautions as recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks.

Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of the reported position of the hijack and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended.