A Libyan cargo ship carrying a crew of 17, the MV Rim, has been hijacked by Somali pirates operating south of Yemen, as shipping industry groups express frustration at the failure of the international community to crack down effectively on piracy.
The cargo ship was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, a region notorious for pirate activity. According to Ecoterra International, a Kenyan-based coastal monitoring group, the 4,800 tonne vessel is owned by a Tripoli company, White Sea Shipping. The MV Rim is the third ship to be attacked by Somali pirates this year.
Ecoterra quotes local reports as saying that the ship has been relocated to a pirate liar somewhere in Puntland, the apparent origin of the pirate group.
Anti-piracy forces comprising the American guided missile destroyer, the USS Porter, as well as a helicopter from the USS Farragut, confirmed the attack but were unable identify the crew, according to a statement from the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor), which is patrolling the region. Ecoterra said that judging by old crew lists, "it could be assumed" that crew members were Romanians and Libyans.
EU Navfor said in its statement: "THE MV Rim... has now altered course and is heading towards the Somali Basin. Coalition forces will now monitor the situation."
The pirates are expected to hold the ship for ransom. Earlier this week, a Greek-owned cargo ship, the MV Filitsa, was released after a ransom had been paid.
The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Shipping Federation have expressed "deepening frustration" at what they call the "seeming impotence of the international community to address the continuing piracy crisis."
The groups say in their latest newsletter that about 1,500 seafarers have so far been taken hostage for ransom.
"While the military has been successful in providing protection in the Gulf of Aden," the newsletter said, "the pirates are now operating throughout the northwest Indian Ocean. On any given day, in a truly massive sea area, only about 12 military vessels are available to come to the aid of merchant ships.
"Little is being done to prevent the pirates from operating from their bases in Somalia, or to disable the 'mother ships' which they use to launch attacks up to 1,000 miles from the Somali coast."
The industry groups warned: "Pirates are being given a message that their criminal activity carries very few risks in comparison to the millions of dollars that can be made from hijackings."
