Hijacked drillship arrives off the coast of Somalia
The drillship VLCC Maran Centaurus that was hijacked on November 30 on its way to the US loaded with Kuwaiti crude oil has now arrived off the coast of Somalia.
Tankers Management, the ship’s operator and manager, said in a statement December 2, “The vessel has reported to the company’s management office in Piraeus, Greece, that all those on board are well. The families of the seafarers on board the tanker are being kept fully informed of the situation,” the company said.
The Greek-owned 300,000 dwt Maran Centaurus was attacked some 762 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. It had left the Kuwaiti terminal of Mina al-Ahmadi on November 24 with a 270,000 mt cargo on board, according to reports.
The VLCC’s 28-member crew is made up of 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian, Maran said. The Maran Centaurus had been heading for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port and was chartered by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
The hijacking is the most high-profile act of piracy against an oil tanker since the VLCC Sirius Star was captured in late 2008. The VLCC Sirius Star was released in January, reportedly after the payment of a $3 million ransom to the pirates by the tanker’s Saudi owners.
Currently, there are some 10 ships with a total of 226 crew being held by pirates offshore Somalia, according to the London- based International Maritime Bureau. There have been 203 attacks on vessels this year off the Somali coast, more than half of the 375 attacks worldwide, according to the IMB.
12/03/2009