Anti-piracy force nets 16 Somali pirates
Also on Tuesday, the Polish captain of an oil tanker said gun-wielding pirates boarded his ship and fired shots in an attempt to hijack the vessel, but failed to capture the ship in the attack off the coast of Oman. The EU force said in a statement that the 16 suspected pirates were captured in two separate operations in the Indian Ocean on Saturday and Thursday last week. The operation involved the EU providing aerial surveillance and the Seychelles Coast Guard making the actual arrests.
The Seychelles government said in a Monday statement that one of the suspected pirates died from wounds sustained during a gun fight. The statement said seven Seychellois fishermen were also rescued in the operation.
"These two operations have sent a clear message ... to the Somali pirates that are attacking our fishermen and our country; that you don't play around with Seychelles," said Seychelles' President James Michel on Monday.
The last time the Seychelles Coast Guard was involved in an anti-piracy operation was in March.
Further out to sea, Capt. Jan Masny said the hijackers attacked the ship Sunday evening off Oman in the Arabian Sea.
He said watchmen spotted a skiff approaching their vessel and that everyone on board rushed into a steel-reinforced safe room.
Dag Christoffersen, managing director of V.Ships Norway, the company that manages the ship, said five pirates spent two hours trying in vain to break down the safe-room door.
Masny spoke by phone from his ship as it continued carrying crude oil to China.
Somali pirates are holding at least 16 ships and more than 300 crew members captive for ransom.
Somalia's lawlessness during the past 19 years has allowed piracy to thrive off its Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden coastlines, Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com