Nairobi: Somali pirates this morning successfully hijacked the 3,415gt LPG tanker, MV Longchamp, in the gulf of Aden. The Bahamas-flagged vessel was being managed by Hamburg-based Bernard Schulte Ship management and had a crew of 13 seafarers onboard at the time of the attack.
"There was a heavy exchange of gunfire (but) the crew is believed to be safe," Andrew Mwangura who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme is quoted as saying by the AFP. It remains unclear if the foreign navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden attempted to prevent the attack or were responsible for the gunfire.
The vessel is expected to be moored off the Somalian coast while the pirates negotiate the terms of its release. [29/01/09]
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