By Abdiqani Hassan
Friday, August 15, 2008
The owners of a Thai cargo ship, the MV Thor Star, said it was seized between Somalia and Yemen on Tuesday while delivering plywood to Aden but its 28 Thai crew were unharmed.
Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said Somali gunmen had also hijacked a Nigerian tug boat, the MT Yenegoa Ocean, last week.
The owners of the Thor Star said the pirates of that ship had made contact with them on Wednesday and assured them that all their crew members were "safe and well".
In most cases, Somali pirates have treated captives with care in the hope of receiving substantial ransom payments.
Somali pirates are still holding a Japanese-managed bulk vessel, the MV Stella Maris, that was hijacked on July 20.
Abdulkadir Muse, the deputy ports minister for northern Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, told Reuters the Stella Maris had been brought to the Eyl area in recent days.
"We are told they made contact with the owners," he said.
Source: Reuters, Aug 15, 2008