Somali pirates hijack 2nd Stolt-Nielsen chem tanker

11 November 2008 11:50  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--The chemical tanker Stolt Strength was hijacked on Monday by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, an official with the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Tuesday.

“The vessel was understood to be heading to Kandla, India, and was fully loaded but the specific cargo is still unknown,” the IMB's Pottengal Mukundan said.

It was the second vessel chartered by Stolt-Nielsen to be hijacked in the region after the Stolt Valor two months ago.   

The series of attacks led to more NATO warship patrols and the EU announcing a protection rota system for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden.

The French navy was the first to offer the service, which is due to commence in a month.

“These preventive measures are welcomed by the IMB. However, we would like to see national governments giving better instructions to the worldwide naval community in how to deal with piracy,” Mukundan said.

“We know the location of the mother ships and it is these vessels that we must disable if we are to win the battle against the pirates,” he said.

From January to September of this year, there were 63 reported incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, according to the IMB.

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By: Dan Horlock
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