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Two Romanian Sailors On UK-Flagged Ship Seized In Gulf Of Aden

Two Romanian sailors are among the 25-member crew of UK-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden late Friday, according to the ship’s owner, British ship management company Zodiac Maritime Agencies.
Two Romanian Sailors On UK-Flagged Ship Seized In Gulf Of Aden
02 ian. 2010, 15:01, English

The Asian Glory, manned by Bulgarian sailors, was carrying cars from Singapore to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The ship was seized late Friday about 600 miles east of Somalia, said Commander John Harbour, a spokesman with the European Union task force charged with combating piracy off Somalia.

Harbour also said the Asian Glory’s 25-member crew includes eight from Bulgaria, ten from Ukraine, five from India and two from Romania, adding the crew appeared to be safe and that the pirates had not yet made contact with the ship’s owner, Zodiac.

He also pointed out the ship was bound for, but had not yet entered, the internationally recognized travel corridor patrolled by EUNAVFOR, as the European Union mission is known, when it was hijacked.

The incident comes after the UK-flagged chemical tanker St James Park, also owned by Zodiac, was captured in the Gulf of Aden on December 29, while on its way to Thailand from Spain.

St. James Park has a crew of 26, including three from the Philippines, three Russians, one Georgian, two Romanians, five Bulgarians, two Ukrainians, one Polish, six Indians and three Turks.

On December 28, another cargo ship was also seized, underlining the risk to shipping on some of the world’s busiest waterways. Pirates hold more than 10 vessels.