Pirates seize Bangladeshi ship off Indian coast

[BanglaBhoot]

DHAKA Dec 5 (Reuters) - Pirates have hijacked a Bangladesh-flagged ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of India, Bangladeshi shipping officials said on Sunday.

"The pirates embarked on board after chasing M.V. Jahan Moni in the Arabian Sea on Sunday," a senior official at the Bangladesh Shipping Department (BSD) said.

"We have sought help from anti-piracy teams in Dubai and Singapore, and Indian coast guards," Rear Admiral Bazlur Rahman, head of the shipping department told Reuters, without giving further details.

The BSD, an arm of the ministry of shipping, monitors and regulates external shipping and ferry services.

Another BSD official said: "The ship has been captured by the pirates."

The 16-crew ship owned by a Bangladeshi shipping firm was heading towards Europe with merchandise from Singapore, the BSD said. No other details about the ship were available immediately.

Somali pirates are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden , though Sunday's hijack happened around 3,000 km (1,864 miles) east of Somalia.

Pirates seize Bangladeshi ship off Indian coast | News by Country | Reuters

 

[Last Hope]

DAMN !!

Just hope that the crew are okay and not treated too harsh.
Also, that the pirates are caught.

Hope everything comes fine soon and runs smoothly!

 

[desioptimist]

Countries should pool resources to police the pirate lanes, especially gulf of aden.
Pirates come in small vessels, and in the huge area, it is difficult to protect the all the ships.

 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

----------------------

 

[Last Hope]

I'm everywhere! Savvy?

hat was LAME, captain....this isint funny !!

 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

^^ Ok let me edit it. Accept my apologies. Request you to remove the uote.

 

[Yeti]

pirates have intresting lives

 

[Lankan Ranger]

Bangladesh Navy can request logistic support from Sri Lanka Navy

Bangladesh Navy can smoothly operate its ships for Anti-piracy missions

 

[Lankan Ranger]

Bangladesh Navy Ship in Sri Lanka

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Hijacked ship heads towards Somalia

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=165121

Fate of 26 Bangladeshis unknown, pirates yet to contact authorities for ransom; website report claims 547 on 23 vessels from different countries taken hostage.

The photo is from the website of European Union Naval Force-Somalia, which says the ship is Bangladesh-flagged MV Jahan Moni that has been hijacked in the Arabian Sea .Star Report

The fate of 26 abductees of the Bangladeshi ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea on Sunday remain uncertain, as the Bangladesh authorities could not contact them until yesterday afternoon.

The pirates did not contact any authority or make ransom demand.

MV Jahan Moni, spotted in the Arabian Sea some 1,100 nautical miles off the Somali coast, started heading for the coast at a speed of 10 nautical mile an hour at 4:00pm, said the Mercantile Marine Department of Bangladesh that is monitoring the ship via satellite.

The vessel is carrying 25 crewmembers and the wife of its chief engineer.

Brave Royal Ship Management, the operating company of the vessel, said it received a message from the ship's security cell at about 3.30pm on Sunday. The message read the ship had come under pirate attack.

The pirates now hold 23 vessels including the Bangladeshi ship and 547 hostages, says the website of European Union Naval Force. However, The Daily Star could not independently confirm the information.

"We got the same message for the second time at about 4.30pm and stayed in contact with the crew members until 5.30pm. We lost contact after that," said Meherul Karim, General Manager of Brave Royal Shipping Management.

Meherul said the pirates might demand ransom after taking the ship to the Somali coast.

The vessel carrying 43,150 tonnes of nickel was on its way to Greece from Indonesia through the Suez Canal. It anchored at the Singapore port for refuelling before heading for Greece, shipping ministry officials said.

Captain Habibur Rahman, principal officer of Mercantile Marine Department, said they were able to locate the ship via satellite every 15 minutes.

The Bangladesh government has contacted several international agencies that combat sea piracy.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said, "We want to rescue the crew and the ship through negotiation with the pirates. But it might take a few days since the ship is likely to reach the African coast after four days."

He said the pirates did not demand anything until now.

"We are concerned about the security of the sailors," said Shajahan.

"Somali pirates hijacked 31 ships this year but did not kill anyone. I hope the sailors could be rescued within four days," the minister said.

Government officials are in constant touch with the family members of the abductees, he said.

The prime minister has asked the foreign ministry to contact with the authorities of the countries concerned to rescue the ship.

Somali pirates are making tens of millions of dollars in ransom capturing ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, although the Sunday's hijack happened nearly 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) east of Somalia.

 

[ajtr]

This is second slap on so called mighty indian navy after 26/11 that pirates can capture ship in its presence in indian territorial waters.Or it may be that indian navy itself is involved with pirate.

The pirates struck less than 70 nautical miles west of Minicoy Island, within India’s extended Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), taking authorities by surprise. Reports indicated that the ship was chased by pirates for more than an hour near the Indian islands before it was captured.

The attack came even as a multi-ship task force of the Indian Navy was carrying out search operations in the Arabian Sea for pirate mother vessels.

What is more embarrassing for India is that the attack took place at a time when an Indian Navy task force comprising multiple warships and reconnaissance aircraft was carrying out a comprehensive search operation in the Arabian Sea for pirate mother vessels. The special operations were launched following a spurt in piracy attempts in the Eastern part of the Arabian Sea, some as close as 350 nautical miles off the Indian coast.

Next to Lakshadweep, Somali pirates capture Bangla ship

 

[ajtr]

Indian navy cant secure its own territorial waters and dreams of ruling IOR.

 

[TopCat]

Bangladesh Navy can request logistic support from Sri Lanka Navy

Bangladesh Navy can smoothly operate its ships for Anti-piracy missions

We already have two war ships deployed near Lebanon. Even Indian navy could not response to SOS calls from the ship and from control center in Chittagong how would you think Srilankan navy can help? Piracy happend in Indian coast of Arabian sea.

 

[eastwatch]

Indian navy cant secure its own territorial waters and dreams of ruling IOR.

Yes, an ocean is very very large, and it is almost impossible for any navy to trace out a pirate mother ship that may be moving only 30 km away. A 24 hour satelite observation is needed to trace the pirates out in the vast sea.

 

[eastwatch]

We already have two war ships deployed near Lebanon. Even Indian navy could not response to SOS calls from the ship and from control center in Chittagong how would you think Srilankan navy can help? Piracy happend in Indian coast of Arabian sea.

If the pirates are moving towards their safe shelters in Somalia, then our and other friendly navy ships with helicopters on board should run faster to intercept the pirates' possible route near Somalia. The hijacked ship cannot stay for a long time in the ocean. Its fuel will be in short supply soon and its food stock will also go down in a matter of days.

Seems, BD navy is not announcing any actions they are going to take. But, in one news, I have read that the navy will be waiting until the pirates reach Somalia, and ask for compensation. I do not just understand what kind of action or inaction is this.