Pirates seize ship in Tanzania waters

 It seems that Somali pirates have shifted their base southward running away from international vigilance as their activities are now increasing in Tanzania waters.

Since Sunday at least four piracy incidents have been reported in Tanzania section of the Indian Ocean and yesterday they managed to capture a Panama-flagged ship with 15 Indian crewmen.

Reports obtained in dare w Salaam yesterday said MT Aspahalt Venture was sailing to South Africa from the Kenyan port of Mombasa, when the Somali pirates intercepted it, said Ecoterra International, an organisation monitoring maritime activity in the region.

Ecoterra said the vessel “is at present observed to have turned around and obviously is commandeered northwards to Somalia.”

Information obtained by the organisation from the ground said a pirate group had captured the vessel and is heading towards Harardhere at the central Somali Indian Ocean coast.

This happened only a day after pirates on Tuesday attacked a chemical product tanker in Tanzanian waters as it was sailing to Dar es Salaam, but the ship managed to escape, according to European Union’s anti-piracy naval force.

The attack on the Malta-flagged MV Mississippi Star, with 18 crew members, was the second such incident in the waters of the East African state since Sunday.

On Sunday, the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF) navy captured a suspected Somali pirate after a gun battle near Mtwara port, an area where London-based, Africa-focused oil and gas firm Ophir Energy has an exploration vessel.

“MV Mississippi... was attacked by a pirate skiff. The pirates, firing automatic rifles and RPGs, attacked the vessel 45 nautical miles north east of Dar es Salaam,” EU Navfor said in a statement adding:

“Mississippi Star took evasive action and escaped the attack. The vessel had been proceeding from Mombasa when attacked; no injuries have been reported.”

EU Navfor said an Italian warship, the Libeccio, that was nearby went to the scene and was monitoring the situation, and the Tanzanian navy had been alerted.

Hijackings off Somalia’s coast, an anarchic Horn of Africa nation, have earned pirates tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, raised shipping insurance premiums and forced ships to take longer, costlier routes to evade pirate hot spots.

Due to increase of international flotilla of warships patrolling the waters off Somalia, it seem that they pirate have decided to move further south, hence increase of attacks in Tanzania waters.

In the meantime, TPDF said yesterday it will not be dazzled by the increasing wave of attacks from the pirates.

The TPDF Director of Information and Public Relations, Lt Col Kapambala Mgawe told The Citizen that they would continue to patrol Tanzania waters as it is their preliminary duty to provide security even to the deep sea.

Speaking over the phone, he said that TPDF has a duty of ensuring that all 800km of beach strip from north to south and 350km towards the sea is under Tanzania mandate.

“It is our (TPDF) to secure this area. All passing vessels should be taken care off, so we are doing this for the sake of Tanzanians,” said Lt Col Mgawe when asked if they have any contract to provide security to the oil explorers.

He said the exploration was conducted for the benefit of the country and because it was being conducted within the Tanzania territory, it was their responsibility to ensure that it is safe.

“We have a duty to ensure that security is maintained in all the area covered by that theory whether there is exploration going on or not,” he added.

He said TPDF has also been offering security services to other vessels which traverse Tanzania waters.

On another development, Lt Col Mgawe said they were now collaborating with Police Force on the interrogation of a person who was captured on Sunday when a group of people believed to be Somali pirates attacked the oil explorer ship near Mtwara.

“This incident might end into a court case and as you know we have no mandate to take anyone to court and that is why we have decided to involve the Police Force,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, addressing seafarers in dare s salaam yesterday, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Infrastructure Development, Mr Omar Chambo said that currently a total of 403 ship crews from 19 different ships are currently being held hostage by Pirates worldwide.

Mr C hambo said that the government was doing everything it can in combating piracy in collaboration with other countries.
Source: The Citizen