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Eight Of The Romanian Sailors Captured Tuesday Are From Constanta

Eight of the eleven Romanian sailors in the crew of Victoria, an Antiguan ship, who were kidnapped Tuesday by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, are from the Romanian city of Constanta, while the rest are from the counties of Prahova, Dambovita and Galati.
Eight Of The Romanian Sailors Captured Tuesday Are From Constanta
06 mai 2009, 11:33, English

According to Cornel Panchici, the manager of Constanta-based crewing firm “Kru Maritime”, which the sailors used, eight of the Romanians are from Constanta, while the others are from Galati, Campina and Pucioasa.

Panchici told MEDIAFAX Wednesday that he is in constant contact with representatives of the ship’s owner, German firm "Intersee Schiffahrts GmbH & Co", who have assured him they will do all they can to free the sailors.
 
Panchici said that, so far, the members of the crew have not been allowed to contact their families. The commander was allowed to speak once with the owner of Victoria, when the pirates captured the vessel, but only to announce the kidnapping. The pirates have not made their demands known.

“Probably once the ship is docked safely in a Somali port we will know more about the men and the pirates’ demands,” Cornel Panchici said.
 
All 11 Romanian sailors aboard the ship Victoria, flying an Antiguan flag, were kidnapped Tuesday evening by Somali pirates in the Aden Gulf.

According to statements by Adrian Mihalcioiu, leader of the Free Union of Navigators, the cargo ship loaded with 10,000 tons of rice had left India and was heading in a convoy towards Saudi Arabia when it was attacked by pirates on the security corridor.

"The ship was attacked by pirates several hours ago. They took over the ship and are now heading towards Somalia. Eight pirates climbed aboard, deployed, probably, from a large number of small boats fishing in the area. The ship was on the security corridor, it was in a convoy and was swept right from under the noses of the warships providing security for the ships in the area," Mihalcioiu said.

Since the start of the year, ten other Romanian sailors have been kidnapped, with five being released. Three of them were on the Greek ship Titan and were abducted on March 20 and released on April 15. The other two, from the ship Saldanha, were captured on February 22 and released on April 26.

Besides the eleven sailors kidnapped Tuesday, five other Romanians are in the custody of Somali pirates. They were aboard the Italian tugboat “SV Buccaneer” and were captured on April 12 in the Aden Gulf.