Armed Somali pirates are demanding an unspecified ransom for the release of an oil tanker seized off the coast of the Horn of Africa Monday, according to the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor).
Suspected pirates hijacked the Aris 13 ship, a Comoros-flagged tanker, Monday. The ship’s master issued a mayday alert, saying that the vessel was being followed by two skiffs, before the ship’s communications were cut.
After that, the ship was re-routed to Somalia’s northern coast, off the semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
The incident was the first time Somali pirates have hijacked a commercial vessel since 2012.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia was once a billion-dollar problem, but increased patrols by NATO navies and China, India and Iran in recent years resulted in a big drop in incidents. A Somali pirate in touch with the armed men on board the vessel told the AP that the ransom amount had not yet been determined.
The eight Sri Lankan sailors in the crew had mostly been locked in one room, the pirate, Bile Hussein, said. “Their main concern now is a possible rescue attempt, so that’s why all communications were cut off in the afternoon,” said Hussein. Director General of the Merchant Shipping Sri Lanka A.W Seneviratne has denied receiving any message with ransom demands from Somali pirates who hijacked the Aris 13despite foreign media reporting that a ransom has been asked for.
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