COLOMBO: Tamil Tiger rebels seized a drifting Jordanian cargo vessel bound for South Africa carrying 14,000 tonnes of Indian rice, the defence ministry said on Saturday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) boarded the Farha III vessel off the district of Mullaitivu on Saturday morning as the ship had drifted due to engine problems. The Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre in Britain picked up a distress message from the ship saying that it was under "armed pirate attack" off Sri Lanka. The vessel was carrying 14,000 tonnes of rice from Kakinada, India to Durban in South Africa.
The vessel, with a 25-member crew of Jordanian and Egyptian nationals, was on its way from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Durban, the ministry said adding that the Jordanian Embassy in India had been informed. Jordan has no Embassy in Sri Lanka. "This armed pirate act by the LTTE is a clear violation of the international maritime laws and the Navy has found it difficult to react due to the presence of the ship's crew," the ministry said.
| Does indeed sound like piracy, huh? |