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UN: Seizure of 1,800-dwt tanker off Somalia will hurt shipping
THE March 13 hijacking - first in five years - of the 1,800-dwt bunkering tanker Aris 13 off Somalia's Puntland shows pirates still threaten shipping and the viability of offshore oil and gas exploration, reports Bloomberg News.
"This is absolutely a return of piracy," said Kenya-based Alan Cole, head of the United Nation's Global Maritime Crime Programme.
The tanker was the first commercial ship seized off the eastern African seaboard in five years. They declined in part because of actions by the European Union's anti-piracy mission as well as the presence of armed guards on board.
The Aris 13 was released by the assailants late Thursday, with the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) now in control of the vessel, said the PMPF's Mohamed Jama Hersi. He declined to say whether ransom had been paid.
Somalia, which chose a new president last month and is trying to emerge from decades of civil war and defeat al-Qaeda-linked guerillas, is seeking to encourage foreign companies to explore for oil and gas in its waters.
IHS Inc, the Denver-based risk adviser, in January 2016 said there was an increased risk from Somali pirates and that most commercial shipping in the area no longer carried armed guards.
"This is absolutely a return of piracy," said Kenya-based Alan Cole, head of the United Nation's Global Maritime Crime Programme.
The tanker was the first commercial ship seized off the eastern African seaboard in five years. They declined in part because of actions by the European Union's anti-piracy mission as well as the presence of armed guards on board.
The Aris 13 was released by the assailants late Thursday, with the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) now in control of the vessel, said the PMPF's Mohamed Jama Hersi. He declined to say whether ransom had been paid.
Somalia, which chose a new president last month and is trying to emerge from decades of civil war and defeat al-Qaeda-linked guerillas, is seeking to encourage foreign companies to explore for oil and gas in its waters.
IHS Inc, the Denver-based risk adviser, in January 2016 said there was an increased risk from Somali pirates and that most commercial shipping in the area no longer carried armed guards.
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