Somali Pirates Hijack a South Korean Oil tanker Ship

Published: April 4, 2010

South Korean oil tanker with 24 crew members was hijacked on Sunday off the coast of Somalia, apparently by pirates, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
The 300,000-ton ship, , was on its way from Iraq to the US state of Louisiana with a crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos, the ministry said.
The ministry said it called an emergency meeting to discuss the incident.
“The ship is presumed to have been hijacked by Somali pirates,” it said in a statement, adding the government would do its best for the safety of the sailors.
South Korea has an anti-piracy warship patrolling Somali waters because of a rise in hijackings.
Somali pirates, targeting one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes, raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.
A South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew was hijacked by Somali pirates in April 2006. The ship and its crew were released after four months when a ransom was paid.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *