Somali pirates set ship on fire as they were unable to hijack the vessel and kidnap the crew
By Tradewindsnews
Somali pirates hit Cyprus Maritime’s 22,600-dwt Pacific Express (built 1981) yesterday, September 20, and it was feared the ship had been taken.
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| MV Pacific Express on Fire (Source:NATO/OTAN/Somalia Report) |
It has been speculated a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) fired from a pirate skiff caused the blaze, but TradeWinds is told the flames were started by pirates after they were unable to hijack the vessel.All 26 crew on board the Cyprus-flagged ship have been successfully evacuated and are uninjured.
They are now on board the NATO Italian warship ITS Andrea Doria, having sheltered in a citadel following the initial attack.
Sources at Cyprus Maritime say they are hopeful the ship will not be lost.
While it is expected to require some assistance, it is thought it will be able to be repaired.
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MV Pacific Express (Source: Vesseltracker.com)
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“The fire was in the accommodation block, so there is no reason the ship should sink,” the owner said.
The vessel had been abandoned in position 04:24S – 042:20E, approximately 87nm Southeast of the hijack attempt location.
Sources say the attack comes as the monsoon waves which have largely held pirates at bay for the past couple of months have now gone.
This is the second pirate attack in the past few days, following a scare for a Cosco ship at the weekend.
Sources say the China-flagged, 15,837-dwt An Ning Jiang (built 1985) was subject to AK-47 fire as it waited to berth at Mombasa on Saturday [reported by OCEANUSLive Sept 17; attacked 85nm East of Mombasa, Kenya].
The crew of six are said to have taken to the citadel. A group of armed guards were on board, but it is not clear what role they played in the ship’s escape.
“The weather has abated and pirates are definitely starting to go to sea again,” one source cautioned.
OCEANUSLive.org
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