Yemeni ship with 6 onboard vanishes off Aden; pirate attack not ruled out
The Source: www.sabanews.net - 02/01/2010
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The Aden-based Coastguard has said that a Yemeni ship, Socotra 1, was lost after it left a port in the eastern province of Hadhramout bound for Socotra Archipelago, the Interior Ministry said on its website on Saturday The ship left Alshahr port on December 24 with 6 crew members aboard, carrying a food cargo for a Yemeni businessman in the archipelago.The contact with it vanished a day after its sailing in the pirate-plagued Gulf of Aden.Officials at the Coastguard did not rule out Somali pirates had seized the ship, pointing out the naval base in Mukala was alerted about the incident.A day earlier media outlets citing sources at the Coastguard reported that Somali pirates hijacked an Indonesian petrochemical tanker, marking the first attack in just 2010.24 crew members were onboard the tanker when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden. No further details were given about the incident.Weeks ago, Somali pirates intercepted a Yemeni merchant vessel, Almahmoud 2, and took it towards the Indian Ocean.In recent years, piracy has soared off Somalia, threatening one of the world's busiest waterways. 2008 was the favorite year of pirates where more than 140 vessels were reported attacked, with those already seized along with crews more than 40 ships.The surge drew the world's attention, prompting anti-piracy missions dispatched to the area where about 20.000 vessels pass a year.Many pirates were arrested by Yemeni and international forces patrolling the region and some of them went on trials in Yemen.
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