Thursday, January 13, 2011

Somali Pirates: Kidnap Crew, Abandon Ship

Reported as Pirates kidnap Danish ship crew but leave vessel:
The crew of a Danish weapons ship have been kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off Oman, but in an unusual departure from normal practice, the vessel was not seized, a report said Thursday.

Sources told the TradeWinds shipping publication that the 2,000-tonne ship, The Leopard, was carrying "sensitive" cargo, believed to include weapons.

Vessels operated by the Leopard's Danish operator, Shipcraft, routinely carried nuclear items, although none were believed to have been on board this vessel, it said.

The six crew -- two Danes including the captain, and four Filipinos -- had been taken to a seized Taiwanese fishing vessel being operated as a mothership, the report added.

The ship had meanwhile been located and searched by the Turkish navy and no trace of any pirates or pirate skiffs had been found.
Interesting new twist.

Photo by Jens Smit from Shipspotting.com and used in accord with the terms of that site.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous9:42 PM

    sensitive cargo in a small ship traveling through pirate areas, with no armed security.....just what were the ship operators smoking???

    ReplyDelete