- Pirates have hijacked Turkish freighter with 20 crew members off the coast of Somalia yesterday, maritime officials said today.
Maritime said M/V Yasa Neslihan freighter was boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, but said at least six other ships have fended off pirate attacks in the last two days.
Noel Choong, a Maritime official, said an Italian-operated cargo ship with 26 crew managed to escape a pirate attack in the same area on Tuesday with unspecified aggressive maneuvers.
On Wednesday, United States Navy said commercial shipping vessels foiled five recent attempted hijackings by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. "In one instance, a Spanish military patrol plane thwarted pirates trying to hijack an oil tanker by buzzing them three times and dropping smoke canisters," said US statement.
Since early this year, 77 ships have been attacked in the African waters. Thirty-one ships have been hijacked, and 10 remain in the hands of pirates along with nearly 200 crew members.
"Pirate attacks are still continuing in the region, despite additional security measures. It is worrying," Mr Choong said.
Director of London-based International Maritime Bureau Captain Pottengal Mukundan said pre-emptive action is required against mother ships before pirates could carry out hijacking.
"The positions of mother ships are generally known. What we would like to see is the naval vessels going to interdict them, searching them and removing any arms on board," he said.
Several US Navy's 5th Fleet warships also have also been deployed off the Horn of Africa surrounding MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and heavy weapons that was seized by Somali pirates on 25 September.
Each year about 20,000 vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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