A Spanish tuna purse seiner, the FV ALAKRANA, has been hijacked by pirates 400 nautical miles northwest of Mahé, announced the Seychelles Marine Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC) in the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG).
The incident occurred outside Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The vessel had transited through Port Victoria two days earlier.
A total number of 36 crewmen were reported to be aboard, the majority being of Spanish nationality. Other nationalities on board include Seychellois, Malagasy, Senegalese, Ivorian and Indonesian men. Spain's El Pais newspaper said that 13 pirates are believed to be aboard the vessel.
The Somali pirates have benefitted from calmer sea conditions with the rough South East Monsoon ending two weeks ago. European fishing fleets need the protection of their country's naval forces now more than ever before because the calmer seas will enable the Somali pirates to move further off the long Somali coast.
The hijacked purse seiner has been taken to port in Somalia with pirates still in charge of the vessel, the Spanish government said Sunday.
The Spanish-owned tuna vessel FV ALAKRANA was hijacked by pirates early Friday. It is being monitored by two navy warships, rescue force commander Gen. Jaime Dominguez said.
At a press conference, Dominguez also said that two suspected pirates had been captured as they navigated a small boat in the vicinity of the FV ALAKRANA. The two had just come off the FV ALAKRANA aboard a motorized skiff that carried 14 containers of fuel, Dominguez said. One of the suspected pirates was shot and slightly wounded as Spanish naval personnel boarded the skiff, he added.
Some news sources say that FV ALAKRANA, owned by Pesqueras Echebastar S.A., had been around 800 miles from the secured fishing sector designated by the Spanish government for Spanish-flagged vessels in the international waters governed by the Southern Indian Ocean Agreement and monitored by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission when it was boarded, the Spanish government declared.
Spain’s Minister for Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa, has so far not commented.
A pirate who gave his name as Abdi Mohamed told AFP by telephone "This boat has been fishing illegally for a long time and fortunately it is now in our hands."
But the daughter of the ship's captain, Cristina Blach, said the trawler was in international waters and operating legally. "They had license to fish in the area," she told reporters.
Pesqueras Echebastar S.A had given the position as 2'40" and 49'E when the attack on 2nd October happened, but the exact location could so far not independently be verified. EU NAVFOR remains tightlipped and not official report has been made to the Somali government.
Media reports quoting Somali sources as saying that the pirates had used a mothership could not be confirmed and the intensive naval air-surveillance also did not show any such vessel in the vicinity of the attack. It is believed that the captors just operated two small skiffs with extra fuel in plastic drums.
It was the second attack on the FV ALAKRANA in less than a month after the captain had to take evasive action to dodge an attempted capture on September 4.
Spanish frigate Canarias and Dutch warship Germinal caught up with the tuna-fishing vessel during the night and shadowed it as it made for the Somali coast.
Though FV ALAKRANA has powerful engines with 4533.3 kW it was commandeered only at 4-5 knots towards Somalia and did reach Sunday the Somali coast. The vessel is presently held south of Harardheere at the central Somali coast, which administratively belongs to the semi-autonomous regional state of Galmudug.
Spanish tuna fishing vessel ALAKRANA is seen in the Indian Ocean waters in this handout picture taken October 2, 2009 and released by Spain's Defense Ministry. Somali pirates hijacked the Spanish tuna fishing boat in the Indian Ocean, the regional government of the Basque Country, the Seychelles and a pirate said on Friday. The Seychelles coastguard said the ship was seized 400 nautical miles northwest of Mahe. The ship has previously escaped an attempted hijack on Sept. 4
