Iranian Ship and Crew Escape After 5 Months in Captivity Off Somali Coast
Jaber, an Iranian fishing vessel believed to have up to 19 crew, was captured on March 26, along with another Iranian fishing vessel, Siraj. Local officials accused them of illegal fishing in Somali waters.
Although there are still rare cases of sea attacks, piracy in the Indian Ocean has largely subsided in the past three years, mainly due to shipping firms hiring private security details and the presence of international warships.
John Steed, a regional manager for Oceans Beyond Piracy, said Jaber and its crew escaped in early hours of Thursday morning and were pursued by pirates who had been holding the ship close to the shore in Ceel Hur, in central Somalia.
“It looks like the captain took the opportunity of a passing helicopter or whatever, when the guards were distracted and were not on the ship … and cut his anchors and motored out,” Steed, who runs a programme helping hostages, told Reuters.
Kenya-based Steed added that the Iranian ship had reached a vessel which was part of the European Union’s international Naval Force protecting the busy shipping lanes from pirates.
Lieutenant Robert Thurmott, spokesman for the EU Naval Force operations, said the force had provided food and water to the Jaber crew on their own vessel. Somali and Iranian officials have been informed about Jaber’s situation, he added.
As well as the Siraj crew, only 26 other sailors are held by Somali pirates, from a peak of about 750 at the beginning of the decade, according to United Nations figures.
The last outbreak of Somali piracy cost the world’s shipping industry billions of dollars as pirates paralysed shipping lanes, kidnapped hundreds of seafarers and seized vessels more than 1,000 miles from Somalia’s coastline.
(By Drazen Jorgic, Additonal reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu; Editing by Edmund Blair and Toby Chopra)
Copyright 2015 Thomson Reuters. Click here for Restrictions
Shipping News You Would Like:
Latest Shipping News You Would Like:
US Navy Unmanned Surface Vessels Visit Yokosuka, Japan For The First Time
U.S Navy To Carry Out Biggest Overhaul of Its Top-Secret Undersea Surveillance Network To Counter China
3 South African Navy Personnel Die After Being Swept Off Submarine Deck By Gigantic Wave
Ukraine Trolls Russia For Losing Its Attack Submarine To A Nation That Hardly Has A Navy
Keel Laying Ceremony Held For US Navy’s Amphibious Assault Ship USS Fallujah
Get the Latest Maritime News Delivered to Your Inbox!
Our free, fast, and fun newsletter on the global maritime industry, delivered everyday.