Hijacked Singapore-owned chemical tanker still out of contact

04 January 2010 11:51  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--A Singapore-registered chemical tanker has lost all communications with its Singapore control centre since it was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the company that charters the vessel said on Monday.

The MT Pramoni, which was carrying around 15,000 tonnes of chemical cargo, lost contact after it was hijacked on Friday evening during a transit in the Gulf of Aden and had not been in touch since, a spokesman for Singapore-based GBLT Shipmanagement said.

It was not clear what chemical products were on board the vessel, he added.

The Pramoni’s 24-member crew includes Indonesian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Nigerian nationals, a GBLT statement said. No crew member was injured at the time of boarding, it added.

Pramoni was travelling eastbound towards Kandla in India at the time of the attack, the European Union Naval Force Somalia said on its website.

There were 214 attacks and 47 hijackings off the Somali coast and in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea last year, according to International Maritime Bureau statistics.

Singapore-flagged container ship MV Kota Wajar was hijacked on 15 October as it was sailing to the Kenyan port of Mombasa from Singapore, but was released last week after a ransom was paid.

GBLT is a subsidiary of Indonesian shipping giant PT Berlian Laju Tanker (BLT), which is listed on the Singapore and Indonesia stock exchanges.

BLT agreed to buy Camillo Eitzen (CECO) in October for Norwegian kroner (NKr) 1bn ($173m, €121m) in a deal that would give it the largest chemical tanker fleet in the world.

BLT announced in a statement to the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) last month that it had submitted a revised offer for all outstanding shares in CECO, after the deal hit a snag in November.

($1 = €0.70, $1 = NKr5.77)

To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect

By: Nurluqman Suratman

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly