Pirates hijack oil tanker off Somalia

Mogadishu: Suspected So­mali pirates hijacked a fuel tanker off the northeastern coast of Somalia, according to an official and the British military. The vessel was seized on Wednesday in waters betw­e­en the coastal towns of Hafun and Bandarbeyla in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland along the Indian Ocean.

The tanker had departed from the port of Berbera and was heading to Mogadishu when it was intercepted, a colonel with the Puntland Maritime Police Force said. The official said six armed men from Bandarbeyla carried out the hijacking.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations also issued a statement reporting a hijacking incident off the Somali coast. According to the BBC, an additional five armed individuals later boarded the vessel, which has since been moved to an anchorage between Hafun and Bandarbeyla. The ship, which is being held with 17 crew members of Pakistani, Indo­nesian, Indian, Sri Lankan, and Myanmar nationalities, was carrying a large shipment of fuel. 

Reports suggest the cargo has become a valuable prize due to petrol prices in Mogadishu tripling following regional conflicts. Neither the Somali authorities nor the European Naval Force, which oversees anti-piracy operations in Somali waters, has release a statement.

The ship, owned by Pakistani interests and chartered by local businessmen, was carrying a large shipment of fuel, according to the Puntland official. 

—AP