Reports from Hawo (Habo,Xabo) and Alula claim that the captain of the vessel used an unobserved moment, when only one guard was on board to fool his captors, start up the engines and escape. The lone Somali guard is reported to have reached the shore by swimming. The vessel with her unharmed crew then disappeared from the coast and due to nightfall a short while later could not be followed by her captors. Having radio communication the nearest naval vessels were informed.
The Royal Netherlands Navy ship De Seven Provinces received the call at 21h00 and could catch up with the tug the next morning at around 5h00 local time. The Dutch Navy then was providing medical and other assistance to the 10 men all-Nigerian crew.
During the earlier times when the vessel was commandeered by the Somali sea-shifta, the Nigerian owned, Panama-flagged AHTS YENEGOA was also identified as a pirate "mother ship" operating under the calls "SEA OCEAN" or "PUMA OCEAN" and several times fooled naval forces as a vessel in distress, thereby attracting the attention of naval forces, while the pirates did strike at other places. The captain and crew then made their captors believe it had ran out of fuel, which stopped these activities.
The Royal Netherlands Navy ship De Seven Provinces received the call at 21h00 and could catch up with the tug the next morning at around 5h00 local time. The Dutch Navy then was providing medical and other assistance to the 10 men all-Nigerian crew.
During the earlier times when the vessel was commandeered by the Somali sea-shifta, the Nigerian owned, Panama-flagged AHTS YENEGOA was also identified as a pirate "mother ship" operating under the calls "SEA OCEAN" or "PUMA OCEAN" and several times fooled naval forces as a vessel in distress, thereby attracting the attention of naval forces, while the pirates did strike at other places. The captain and crew then made their captors believe it had ran out of fuel, which stopped these activities.
The firefighting and supply tug had then – after having received some 80.000 US from the owner for fuel and supplies – been moved from Hawo first to Alula (Caluula) and then even down to Ras Hafun on the Indian Ocean side in readiness to receive a ransom, but the negotiations apparently provoked a fight among the pirates that escalated into a fatal shoot out.
Thereafter it was taken back to Hawo and stayed there having "run out of fuel again". That this was a clever set-up, the pirates only realized when the vessel went full steam into the night and onto the high seas of the Gulf of Aden into freedom. Local reports speak now of a serious conflict among the hostage keepers also because nobody seems to have received the money which allegedly was sent from an US based group. Omar Jamal, director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, said earlier that after a week of negotiations, he and Jeffrey Egbide, brother of the captain of the Yenagoa, Graham Egbegi, sent $43.000.- to the pirates through an Islamic Hawala money-transfer service for the release.
Dutch Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Robin Middel said the Dutch warship The Seven Provinces is alongside the Yenegoa Ocean and medical staff are tending to its crew. The tug was having engine trouble, so it was unclear if it could reach the Yemen port on Sunday evening as planned, Middel said and added that the tug’s Nigerian crew members are exhausted after 10 months in captivity but have no major health problems. "Everyone is all right," he said.
Thereafter it was taken back to Hawo and stayed there having "run out of fuel again". That this was a clever set-up, the pirates only realized when the vessel went full steam into the night and onto the high seas of the Gulf of Aden into freedom. Local reports speak now of a serious conflict among the hostage keepers also because nobody seems to have received the money which allegedly was sent from an US based group. Omar Jamal, director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, said earlier that after a week of negotiations, he and Jeffrey Egbide, brother of the captain of the Yenagoa, Graham Egbegi, sent $43.000.- to the pirates through an Islamic Hawala money-transfer service for the release.
Dutch Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Robin Middel said the Dutch warship The Seven Provinces is alongside the Yenegoa Ocean and medical staff are tending to its crew. The tug was having engine trouble, so it was unclear if it could reach the Yemen port on Sunday evening as planned, Middel said and added that the tug’s Nigerian crew members are exhausted after 10 months in captivity but have no major health problems. "Everyone is all right," he said.
NATO forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden received the news that the MV Yenegoa Ocean came free off the coast of Caluula, northeast Somalia, NATO Lieutenant Caroline Ghijsen confirmed too. She said one person was in need of medical attention and had been moved to the Provincien for treatment. "His injuries are not life threatening … Overall the crew are in a good state of health, they have only small problems," she added. NATO Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Fernandes, on board NATO’s mission flagship Corte Real, said the Provincien was providing medical and logistical support while escorting the tug at low speed to a safe harbour in Yemen, where it was expected to dock for repairs on Sunday evening.
The vessel was captured Aug. 4, 2008, after it had returned to the area earlier from repairs in Singapore during a not really clear trip to Mogadishu from Dubai. It had three luxury vehicles on board and many rumours were spread about other contraband being transported on that ill-fated voyage. An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja as well as the Nigerian High Commissioner in Nairobi confirmed that Captain Graham Egbegi and other crew members held hostage by Somali pirates aboard a Nigerian merchant ship were free. The head of the Nigerian mission in Kenya, Dr. Wigwe is travelling to Aden to receive the crew.. The ship, "Yenagoa Ocean", belonging to ESL Integrated Services, had berthed in Mogadishu to seek medical attention for some crew members who were sick. The ship was on its way from Dubai when it was hijacked. The captain had earlier obtained a clearance to head for Mogadishu for the treatment. The crew will have some explanation and the Nigerian officials some investigation to do – while the Somali sea-shifta at least will have to scratch their heads and wonder, if they not just start fighting each other again.
The vessel was captured Aug. 4, 2008, after it had returned to the area earlier from repairs in Singapore during a not really clear trip to Mogadishu from Dubai. It had three luxury vehicles on board and many rumours were spread about other contraband being transported on that ill-fated voyage. An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja as well as the Nigerian High Commissioner in Nairobi confirmed that Captain Graham Egbegi and other crew members held hostage by Somali pirates aboard a Nigerian merchant ship were free. The head of the Nigerian mission in Kenya, Dr. Wigwe is travelling to Aden to receive the crew.. The ship, "Yenagoa Ocean", belonging to ESL Integrated Services, had berthed in Mogadishu to seek medical attention for some crew members who were sick. The ship was on its way from Dubai when it was hijacked. The captain had earlier obtained a clearance to head for Mogadishu for the treatment. The crew will have some explanation and the Nigerian officials some investigation to do – while the Somali sea-shifta at least will have to scratch their heads and wonder, if they not just start fighting each other again.
*SOME OF THE VESSELS STILL HELD BY SOMALI PIRATES
(As at April 18, 2009)
Some 18 ships and over 310 crew members are believed to be held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, NATO and others. A look at the ships still being held:
AUG 4: Pirates seize a Nigerian tug, the Yenagoa Ocean, with 11 crew members. (Released last week)
NOV. 10: Pirates hijack a Philippines chemical tanker, the MT Stolt Strength, with 23 crew members.
DEC. 16: Pirates seize a Malaysian tugboat with 11 Indonesian crew members.
FEB. 22: Pirates take a Greek-owned cargo ship, the Saldanha, with a 22-member crew, off Somalia’s coast. The crew’s nationalities are unknown.
FEB. 28: State broadcaster in the Seychelles reports that Somali pirates hijacked the Serenity, a yacht with two Seychelles nationals on board.
MARCH 25: Pirates seize Panama-registered, Greek-owned Nipayia with 18 Filipino crew members and a Russian captain.
APRIL 1: Tour operator says pirates seized a tourist yacht and its crew of seven near the Seychelles. The Indian Ocean Explorer had dropped off its tourists before it was seized.
APRIL 4: Pirates hijack German freighter Hansa Stavanger. It has 24 crew members: five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians, two Filipinos and 12 Tuvalus.
APRIL 4: Pirates seize Taiwanese ship, Win Far 161, near the Seychelles islands. It has a crew of 30, including 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese.
APRIL 5: Pirates hijack Yemeni fishing boat with 13 crew members in the Gulf of Aden.
APRIL 6: British-owned bulk carrier, the Malaspina Castle, hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. It is carrying a crew of 24 from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.
APRIL 6: Pirates seize Taiwanese fishing boat with 30 crew off eastern Somalia.
APRIL 11: Pirates seize Italian tugboat off Somalia’s north coast. Ten of the 16 crew members are Italian. The others are five Romanians and a Croatian.
APRIL 14: Officials say two Egyptian fishing boats have been hijacked with a total of 36 crew. Boats seized either April 12 or 13th, it is not clear.
APRIL 14: Pirates seize Greek-managed bulk carrier, the MV Irene E.M., in a rare overnight attack. The St.-Vincent and Grenadines-flagged ship with at least 21 Filipino seamen was sailing from Jordan to India.
APRIL 14: Pirates capture the Lebanese-owned cargo ship the MV Sea Horse with 19 crew aboard.
APRIL 18: Pirates seize a Belgian dredger, the Pompei, with two Belgians, a Dutch, three Filipinos and four Croatians onboard.
(As at April 18, 2009)
Some 18 ships and over 310 crew members are believed to be held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, NATO and others. A look at the ships still being held:
AUG 4: Pirates seize a Nigerian tug, the Yenagoa Ocean, with 11 crew members. (Released last week)
NOV. 10: Pirates hijack a Philippines chemical tanker, the MT Stolt Strength, with 23 crew members.
DEC. 16: Pirates seize a Malaysian tugboat with 11 Indonesian crew members.
FEB. 22: Pirates take a Greek-owned cargo ship, the Saldanha, with a 22-member crew, off Somalia’s coast. The crew’s nationalities are unknown.
FEB. 28: State broadcaster in the Seychelles reports that Somali pirates hijacked the Serenity, a yacht with two Seychelles nationals on board.
MARCH 25: Pirates seize Panama-registered, Greek-owned Nipayia with 18 Filipino crew members and a Russian captain.
APRIL 1: Tour operator says pirates seized a tourist yacht and its crew of seven near the Seychelles. The Indian Ocean Explorer had dropped off its tourists before it was seized.
APRIL 4: Pirates hijack German freighter Hansa Stavanger. It has 24 crew members: five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians, two Filipinos and 12 Tuvalus.
APRIL 4: Pirates seize Taiwanese ship, Win Far 161, near the Seychelles islands. It has a crew of 30, including 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese.
APRIL 5: Pirates hijack Yemeni fishing boat with 13 crew members in the Gulf of Aden.
APRIL 6: British-owned bulk carrier, the Malaspina Castle, hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. It is carrying a crew of 24 from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.
APRIL 6: Pirates seize Taiwanese fishing boat with 30 crew off eastern Somalia.
APRIL 11: Pirates seize Italian tugboat off Somalia’s north coast. Ten of the 16 crew members are Italian. The others are five Romanians and a Croatian.
APRIL 14: Officials say two Egyptian fishing boats have been hijacked with a total of 36 crew. Boats seized either April 12 or 13th, it is not clear.
APRIL 14: Pirates seize Greek-managed bulk carrier, the MV Irene E.M., in a rare overnight attack. The St.-Vincent and Grenadines-flagged ship with at least 21 Filipino seamen was sailing from Jordan to India.
APRIL 14: Pirates capture the Lebanese-owned cargo ship the MV Sea Horse with 19 crew aboard.
APRIL 18: Pirates seize a Belgian dredger, the Pompei, with two Belgians, a Dutch, three Filipinos and four Croatians onboard.
FOOT NOTE:
With the latest captures and releases, at least 14 foreign vessels (15 with an unnamed sole Barge which drifted ashore) with a total of not less than 206 crew members accounted for (of which 44 are confirmed to be Filipinos) are held in Somali waters and are monitored on actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are still being followed.
Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) have been recorded for 2008 with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 126 attacks (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 44 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as at least three wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces.
Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as well as not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (also not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last 10 years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases, it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail.
In the last four years, 22 missing ships have been traced back with different names, flags and superstructures. Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season in winter and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon season starting from mid February and early April every year.
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