[Emirates 24/7] A chemical oil tanker foiled a hijack attempt by pirates near the Omani port of Salalah on Sunday, a day after a tanker and crew were snatched from inside the port in front of the coasties.| Anyone at the Omani Coast Guard paying attention? |
On Saturday, pirates successfully seized the empty MV Fairchem Bogey chemical oil tanker from its anchorage at the port in the mouth of the Gulf of Aden, taking 21 Indian crew members hostage and heading south to Somalia, Mumbai-based Anglo Eastern Ship Management said.
"We can now confirm that the Fairchem Bogey is now in Somali waters," the tanker manager said in a statement. "The Master has been in contact with us, reconfirming safety of the crew. We are still waiting to make first contact with the hijackers."
Anglo-Eastern said the Omani Coast Guard approached the vessel shortly after it was seized from its anchorage in the port but backed off when the pirates warned that the captured crew might be harmed.
The Bogey, which had armed guards on board when it sailed through the Gulf of Aden on its way to unload at the Saudi port of Al Jubail on Aug. 18, was unprotected when it was taken on Aug. 21 after dropping the security team off in the Omani capital Muscat on Aug. 10, the company said.