An Indian-owned chemical tanker is hijacked off the Gulf port of Salalah in the early hours.
An Indian chemical tanker was reported to have been hijacked today, August 20 at 0150 UTC off the port of Salalah in Oman.
The Marshall Island-flagged tanker, MV Fairchem Bogey, is managed by an Indian firm and had 21 Indian sailors on board when it was hijacked on Saturday while at port in the Gulf state of Oman, India's government shipping agency said.
The Directorate General of Shipping said MV Fairchem Bogey, a chemical-oil tanker, was hijacked while anchored in Salalah port. At the time of the incident, the MV Fairchem Bogey was within the Salalah port limit waiting for berthing instructions, after discharging at Al Jubail. The pirates broke into the engine control room where the crew had temporarily assembled. The Royal Oman Coast Guard tried to approach the vessel, but the pirates asked them to move away.
Fairchem Bogey, 15,000 GRT, 25,000 DWT LOA 157m was hijacked in position 16:54N - 054:03E, approximately 6nm off the Oman coast. There was no report of injury or death of any crew member, and the Omani government is reported to be talking to the pirates. The attack and subsequent hijack was reported through UKMTO. This is the first successful hijack since the short-term hijack of the oil tanker, MT Jubba XX, on July 16 in the Gulf of Aden.
The hijacked vessel is managed by Mumbai-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, the statement said, adding that the Indian Navy had also been informed about the hijacking. The statement gave no further details and there was no immediate comment from Salalah port.
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Chemical tanker FAIRCHEM BOGEY
(Source: Vesseltracker.com) |
The pirated vessel has since been reported to be transiting Southwest of the hijack position, likely making its way to Somalia, however, it is possible that the vessel may be used as a mothership to launch attacks on unsuspecting merchant ships, despite the unfavourable weather conditions prevailing during the Southwest monsoon.
UPDATE: The hijacked chemical tanker was reported to have reached the Somali coast on Monday afternoon and has anchored north of Bandar Beyla. The crew are reported to be "safe and sound". Sources state that a $10 million ransom is to be demanded as the pirate's negotiator initiates contact with the management company response team. The priority is the safety and return of the crew.
Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of any reported positions of attacks and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended.
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Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (UKMTO or Telephone+971 50 552 3215) and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez, 78E and 10S.
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