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South Korea tanker hijacked by Somali pirates
A South Korea-operated, Singapore-owned oil tanker has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The 300,000-tonne Samho Dream - loaded with crude oil - was on its way from Iraq to the United States with 24 crew when it was seized on Sunday.South Korea has sent a destroyer already in the area to intercept the tanker before it reaches any port. The Cheong-hae destroyer was on patrol in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates have often staged attacks. It has been diverted some 1,500 km (930 miles) to the south-east to the area where the hijacking took place. "The government has dispatched our Cheong-hae naval unit to the waters of the Indian Ocean, where the ship hijacked by Somali pirates is assumed to be," the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement. "The ship is presumed to have been hijacked by Somali pirates," the ministry said. It also expressed concern for the safety of the crew - five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos. The BBC's Korea correspondent, John Sudworth, says local media are reporting that the destroyer, which is part of the naval unit, can travel faster than the super tanker and would be able to reach the ship before it could reach any port. But any attempt to recapture the ship would be extremely dangerous, our correspondent says. Given that smoking on the decks of oil tankers is not allowed, a gun battle is inconceivable, he adds. Brilliant. That's why we have correspondents, you know ... The value of the Samho Dream's cargo is estimated at about $170m (£111.7m). Reuters reported that the US refiner Valero Energy Corp said it was the owner of the crude oil cargo. It said a pirate source named Mohamed had said the ship was now heading for Haradheere, the pirates' base at which many ships are held during ransom negotiations. At least four South Korean ships have been hijacked by Somali pirates in recent years: a tuna ship with 25 crew in 2006, two ships and 24 crew (held captive for six months) in 2007, and a cargo ship with 22 sailors in September 2008. The crew in that last attack were released after the ship's owner paid a ransom. The first successful hijacking of what is called a Very Large Crude Carrier was of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star in late 2008. Another VLCC, the Maran Centaurus, was taken last November and held for two months before a ransom estimated at between $5.5m and $7m was paid. Posted by: john frum 2010-04-05 |
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