Romanian Crew Member On Board Greek Ship Seized By Somali Pirates

The Liberian-flagged, Eleni P, property of the Greek company Eurobulk LTD, is manned by 19 Filipinos, one Romanian, one Ukrainian and two Greek crew members, the company representative said.

He added the ship was hijacked by ten pirates operating high-speed boats, but that the crew appears unharmed at the moment.

Eleni P was attacked while en route from Ukraine to China, with an iron ore shipment on board, said a Coast Guard representative. The spokesperson added that the European Union’s Atalanta naval force has been informed.

According to a press release issued by EU’s naval force, the ship was captured 460 kilometers off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman.

Over 400 hundred naval crew members are currently detained by pirates, the largest number reported since the 2007 boom of Somali piracy.