MedeshiEthiopian ship hijacking foiled
By Groum Abate
Source: Capital
Built by Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani, in Venice, Andinet, one of the nine ships operated by Ethiopian Shipping Lines (ESL) came under attack by the notorious Somali pirates.
Photo: ESL Ethiopian Ship Shebelle
Ambachew Abreha, Managing Director of ESL, told Capital that the attack occurred on Monday, November 17, 2008, but the ship managed to safely cruise away from the hijackers.Andinet has reverted back to its initial point of departure, the Port of Djibouti, after the hijacking attempt.
Ambachew said that the attempt was diverted by the ship’s security despite claims by the German navy that stated it rescued Andinet from pirates.
German navy officials said Tuesday its frigate, Karlsruhe, had foiled attacks by heavily armed bandits on two ships. On Monday, Andinet radioed for help, saying it was under attack from two small motorboats in the Gulf of Aden. The Karlsruhe, which was 20km away, dispatched a Sea Lynx helicopter and the two motorboats “left at high speed,” a navy statement said.
The managing director on his part said the German navy was near the incident but has not intercepted the hijackers, adding that it is confidential how the ship managed to foil the attack.
Earlier in the week, the Saudi supertanker, Sirius Star, carrying 100 million dollars worth of oil, was hijacked and anchored off a notorious Somali pirate port. The biggest act of piracy yet by the marauding Somali bandits has stunned the international community.The super-tanker with its crew of 25, 19 from The Philippines, two from Britain, two from Poland, one Croatian and one Saudi, and loaded to capacity with two million barrels of oil, was seized on Saturday, November 15, 2008.
ESL Netsanet Ethiopian Ship
The Sirius Star, the size of three football pitches and three times the weight of a US aircraft carrier, is the largest ship ever seized by pirates and the hijacking was the farthest out to sea that Somali bandits have struck.
Four ships from Britain, Greece, Italy and Turkey form a NATO patrol in the waters, with two protecting United Nations (UN) food aid convoys to the strife-torn Horn of Africa country.NATO’s operation ends in mid-December when a bigger European Union (EU) mission is set to take over but NATO is considering “complementary” action to the EU mission.The International Maritime Bureau has reported that 90 vessels have been attacked since January. Of those, 38 were hijacked while pirates still hold 16 vessels with more than 250 crew as hostages.
Ethiopian Shipping Lines SC was founded in 1964 and started operation in 1966 with three newly built ships with a capital of 50,000 birr subsequently raised to 3,750,000 birr.
Built by Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani, in Venice, Andinet, one of the nine ships operated by Ethiopian Shipping Lines (ESL) came under attack by the notorious Somali pirates.
Photo: ESL Ethiopian Ship Shebelle
Ambachew Abreha, Managing Director of ESL, told Capital that the attack occurred on Monday, November 17, 2008, but the ship managed to safely cruise away from the hijackers.Andinet has reverted back to its initial point of departure, the Port of Djibouti, after the hijacking attempt.
Ambachew said that the attempt was diverted by the ship’s security despite claims by the German navy that stated it rescued Andinet from pirates.
German navy officials said Tuesday its frigate, Karlsruhe, had foiled attacks by heavily armed bandits on two ships. On Monday, Andinet radioed for help, saying it was under attack from two small motorboats in the Gulf of Aden. The Karlsruhe, which was 20km away, dispatched a Sea Lynx helicopter and the two motorboats “left at high speed,” a navy statement said.
The managing director on his part said the German navy was near the incident but has not intercepted the hijackers, adding that it is confidential how the ship managed to foil the attack.
Earlier in the week, the Saudi supertanker, Sirius Star, carrying 100 million dollars worth of oil, was hijacked and anchored off a notorious Somali pirate port. The biggest act of piracy yet by the marauding Somali bandits has stunned the international community.The super-tanker with its crew of 25, 19 from The Philippines, two from Britain, two from Poland, one Croatian and one Saudi, and loaded to capacity with two million barrels of oil, was seized on Saturday, November 15, 2008.
ESL Netsanet Ethiopian Ship
The Sirius Star, the size of three football pitches and three times the weight of a US aircraft carrier, is the largest ship ever seized by pirates and the hijacking was the farthest out to sea that Somali bandits have struck.
Four ships from Britain, Greece, Italy and Turkey form a NATO patrol in the waters, with two protecting United Nations (UN) food aid convoys to the strife-torn Horn of Africa country.NATO’s operation ends in mid-December when a bigger European Union (EU) mission is set to take over but NATO is considering “complementary” action to the EU mission.The International Maritime Bureau has reported that 90 vessels have been attacked since January. Of those, 38 were hijacked while pirates still hold 16 vessels with more than 250 crew as hostages.
Ethiopian Shipping Lines SC was founded in 1964 and started operation in 1966 with three newly built ships with a capital of 50,000 birr subsequently raised to 3,750,000 birr.
