Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 15 March 2017

Somali pirates demand ransom for oil tanker, EU force says

of Somalia and the crew the crew in one room and tanker’s owners and an in-
is being held captive, the cut off communication vestigation was underway.
European Union anti-piracy lines. “Their main concern Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry
operation in the region an- now is a possible rescue said in a statement it was in
nounced late Tuesday. attempt, so that’s why all touch with shipping agents
An EU Naval Force state- communications were cut and officials abroad for
ment said the operation off in the afternoon,” he more information to help
had finally made contact said. ensure the crew’s “safety
with the ship’s master, who The Aris 13, manned by and welfare.”
confirmed that armed men eight Sri Lankan sailors, was A U.N. shipping database
were aboard the Comoros- carrying fuel from Djibouti shows the Aris 13 is owned
flagged tanker Aris 13. to Somalia’s capital, Mog- by Armi Shipping SA, whose
Monday’s hijacking was adishu, when it was ap- address is listed in care of
the first such seizure of a proached by men in two Aurora Ship Management
large commercial vessel skiffs, said John Steed, the FZE, a company based in
In this photo taken Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, the Aris 13 oil tanker off Somalia since 2012. It director of Oceans Beyond the United Arab Emirates.
is seen from a helicopter in the harbor of Gladstone, Australia. came as a surprise to the Piracy. The EU statement Calls and emails to Aurora
Pirates have hijacked the Aris 13 oil tanker off the coast of So- global shipping industry said the ship’s master is- went unanswered.
malia, officials and piracy experts said Tuesday, March 14, 2017, as patrols by the navies sued a mayday alert. Australian government
the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel on the crucial
global trade route since 2012. of NATO countries, as well An official in Somalia’s records from 2014 list the
(Kevin Finnigan/Tropic Maritime Images via AP) as China, India and Iran, semiautonomous state of ship’s owner as Flair Ship-
had suppressed Somali pi- Puntland said over two ping Trading FZE in the UAE.
ABDI GULED — Armed men are de- rate hijackings for several dozen men boarded the An address listed for Flair
JON GAMBRELL manding a ransom for the years. ship off the country’s north- Shipping in Dubai was for
Associated Press release of an oil tanker they However, the United Na- ern coast, an area known a company called Flair Oil
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) have seized off the coast tions warned in October to be used by weapons Trading DMCC. A woman
that the situation was smugglers and members there told an AP reporter
fragile and that Somali pi- of the al-Qaida-linked ex- the firm wasn’t connected
rates “possess the intent tremist group al-Shabab. to the ship and directed
and capability to resume The official spoke on condi- him to another office.
attacks.” One expert said tion of anonymity because When no one answered
some in the region had let they were not authorized there, the reporter returned
down their guard as the sit- to speak to journalists. to find Argyrios Karagiannis,
uation calmed. NATO end- The ship was anchored the managing director of
ed its anti-piracy mission off Tuesday off the town of Flair Shipping, entering the
Somalia in December. Alula, said Salad Nur, a lo- first office. “We will not be
A Somali pirate who said cal elder. “The ship is on releasing any information,”
he was in touch with the the coast now and more Karagiannis said before
armed men aboard the armed men boarded the shutting the door.
tanker said the amount of ship,” he told the AP by The incident involving the
ransom to demand had phone. Aris 13 represents the first
not yet been decided. The EU Naval Force said it commercial pirate attack
Bile Hussein told The Associ- had passed the informa- off Somalia since 2012,
ated Press that the armed tion from its contact with Steed of Oceans Beyond
men have locked most of the ship’s master to the oil Piracy said.q
Libya:
Forces loyal to general retake oil installations

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — A that the assault started feated by Hifter’s forces in
Libyan military spokesman early Tuesday and that the Benghazi, Libya’ second
says hundreds of forces loy- fighting is still ongoing. He largest city.
al to Field Marshal Khalifa said that some 1,300 forces They were joined by militia-
Hifter have seized major oil loyal to Hifter are taking men from the western city
facilities at Ras Lanuf and part in the battle. of Misrata.
al-Sidra from Islamist-allied The militias occupied the Hifter is allied with Libya’s
militias. terminals on March 3. They parliament, based in the
Faisal al-Zwei, the spokes- are comprised of Islamic east, and is at odds with a
man for the 101st Brigade, militants and former reb- U.N.-backed government
told The Associated Press els who were recently de- in the capital, Tripoli.q