Japanese ship escapes after pirates open fire in Somalia
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
- 3 December 2009: At least fifteen killed after suicide bombing in Somali hotel
- 1 December 2009: Somali pirates seize Greek-owned tanker
- 19 November 2009: Somali pirates attack US-flagged ship, vessel evades capture
- 18 November 2009: European Union to train Somali security forces
- 12 November 2009: Judge known for jailing pirates shot dead in Bossaso, Somalia
A cargo ship owned by a Japanese company has escaped an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The ship outran two pirate boats that opened fire on her yesterday.
The ship, owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and flagged in the Cayman Islands, came under attack at around 4 p.m. Somali time (UTC+3) as gunfire came from two small pirate boats. The vessel, with a crew of eighteen from the Philippines, suffered light damage to its front and windows were broken.
The Jasmine Ace was en-route from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Mombasa, Kenya. The 126.75m car carrier had loaded with 377 used cars in Sharjah on March 17.
The ship sped up to try and outrun the high-speed boats, and began to zig-zag as an evasive manoeuvre. The pirates chased for forty minutes but finally gave up. Nobody was injured in the attack.
Piracy is rife in Somalia. Japan sent two destroyers earlier this month to combat piracy in the region, joining an international task force. Indian cargo ship MSV Al Rafiquei was hijacked on Saturday and the ship and the sixteen Indians on board were released on Sunday. Pirates seized the crew's mobiles as well as five barrels of petrol and twenty of diesel. The crew were also assaulted by their captors.
Sources
- Press Release "MOL Car Carrier Jasmine Ace Escapes Pirate Attack off Somalia". Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, March 23, 2009
- "Japan-operated cargo ship hit by pirates off Somalia". Xinhua, March 23, 2009
- "Japan ship shot at off Somalia, no one hurt". Reuters, March 23, 2009
- "Pirates fire on Japanese ship off Somalia". CNN, March 23, 2009
- "Somali pirates release ship with 16 Indians on board". Times of India, March 22, 2009
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