Sri Lankans among crew in ship hijacked by Somali pirates

It has been confirmed that eight Sri Lankans were on board the tanker that is believed to have been hijacked by Somali pirates off the seas of Djibouti on Monday, the Sri Lanka Navy said.  

Navy Spokesman Lt. Commander Chaminda Walakuluge said the French Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center (MRCC) had informed the Rescue Coordinating Center (RCC) in Sri Lanka of the incident.

Disputing the prior belief that the ship sailed under a Sri Lankan flag, the Navy spokesman said the ship was infact owned by a company based in the United Arab Emirates and sailed under the flag of the Comoros Island.  

“The UAE company confirmed that the eight Sri Lankans were part of the crew. We will request the vessels in the area to look into the incident and the whereabouts of the crew,” the spokesman said.    

The pirates had chased the tanker, Aris 13, on two high speed boats before capturing it in between Djibouti and Somalia.

International news agencies reported that the incident would be the first successful hijack of a commercial ship by Somali pirates since 2012. At least eight suspected pirates were involved in the attack.

An aircraft from the regional EU Naval Force had flown overhead to track the ships progress and tried to determined what had happened.   

The ship had sent a distress call and then turned off its tracking system. It is now reportedly anchored near the Puntland's Alula district in Caluula, Somalia.

At its peak in 2010/11, Somali piracy had an economic impact of around $7 billion, with more than 1,000 hostages taken captive with pirates receiving multi-million-dollar ransoms each month.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Ministry was taking action to verify the news, and initial enquiries had revealed that the vessel involved was not registered under Sri Lankan flag, but it did have eight Sri Lankans were among the crew.

“The Ministry continues to remain in touch with the shipping agents, concerned authorities, as well as relevant Sri Lankan Missions overseas to ascertain further information on the matter in order to ensure the safety and welfare of the Sri Lankan crew,” the Ministry said.

“Therefore, as and when confirmed information becomes available, the Ministry will share information in a manner that would not be prejudicial to the safety of the crew,” the Ministry said.(Darshana Sanjeewa)

Video by Indika Sri Aravinda

Video by Indika Sri Aravinda