A South Korean chemical freighter travelling from the UAE to Sri Lanka was hijacked on Saturday by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea according to the country’s Yonhap news agency and Reuters.
The Samho Jewelry, an 11,500-tonne chemical freighter belonging to Samho Shipping, was en route to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates carrying 21 crew members (eight Koreans, 11 Myanmar nationals and two Indonesians) when it was seized in waters between Oman and India on Saturday. Specifics on what kind of chemicals the vessel is carrying are not known.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s president, Lee Myung-bak has instructed his government to take action to secure the release of the seized ship.
South Korea’s 4,500-tonne destroyer “Choi Young” is currently enroute to the freighter’s location and is expected to reach it in two days, according to government sources.
South Korea’s government has given a stern response to the incident as it is the second vessel belonging to Samho Shipping to have been hijacked. In November, the company’s super oil tanker, Samho Dream was released in November after being held by Somali pirates for seven months.
The pirates said they had received a record ransom of US$9.5 million for the release of the supertanker, according to Reuters.
“President Lee was briefed on the government’s countermeasures for the hijacking of the Samho Jewelry as well as the dispatch of the Choi Young destroyer,” said a presidential secretary.
“The government will comprehensively deal with the incident. South Korea’s destroyer cannot stand idle as our commercial ship has been hijacked.”
Seoul’s foreign ministry has said that the government will not pay any ransom to release the ship.
“The (South Korean) government will never hold negotiations with the pirates. Also, it will stick to the principles of not paying any ransom to the pirates,” Yonhap quoted a ministry official as saying.
“The location of the ship was found, and the 21 crew members, including eight South Koreans, were all confirmed to be safe through communications between the Samho Jewelry and its owner Samho Shipping Co. We understand it was Somali pirates who hijacked the ship,” the official said.
Update
The South Korean navy on Friday January 21 rescued the hijacked tanker killing eight of the 13 Somali pirates on board, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
The chemical tanker some 310 nautical miles off Oman. A team of commandos from the South Korean navy destroyer Choi Young which was in pursuit of the vessel for almost a week, managed to neutralise the threat on board. It has been reported that all 21 crewmembers were safely rescued from the Malta-flagged vessel. The remaining five pirates were taken prisoner.
IMB director Pottengal Mukundan commented: “The IMB commends the robust actions of the South Korean navy and renews its call for greater naval action in the fight against this brand of maritime crime.”
In 2011 there have been 39 incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC). Of these, 31 are attributed to Somali pirate gangs. Of the Somali attacks, 14 have been on tankers whilst other attacks have been on bulk carriers, general cargo, container and vehicle carrier vessels. Additionally, tugs, dhows and supply vessels have been targeted.
Mukundan continued: “We recognise the risks posed to crew in actions of this type and advises that navies only give the orders after consultation with a vessel’s owners and flag state.”
