Bartamaha (Nairobi):-<\/strong> Somali pirates have seized a Kenyan-flagged fishing vessel, the European Union Naval Force said Tuesday.
\nCmdr. John Harbour said Tuesday the Sakoba was taken last week, but many details remain unclear. The owner has not been in touch and the ship was not registered with maritime authorities. The crew nationalities and numbers are unknown.
\nPirate attacks usually peak in March and April when the seas are calmer and the past week has seen a flurry of attacks and shoot-outs between pirates and security forces.
\nIt is very unusual for a ship owner not to report a hijacked vessel to naval authorities. Naval authorities say there has been no communication with the crew. However, Harbour said that armed pirates have been sighted onboard.
\nThe Sakoba was last registered in Spain three years ago but the Spanish Environment Ministry, which handles maritime affairs, said the vessel is Kenyan-owned.
\nThe ship was apparently taken about 400 miles (640 kilometers) east of the Tanzanian city of Dar Salaam last Wednesday, Harbour said. Somali pirates have been extending their reach south into the Indian Ocean because of stepped up naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden.
\nHarbour said the pirates may use the hijacked vessel as a \u2018mothership\u2019 to carry extra food, fuel and water and tow pirate speedboats hundreds of miles out to sea. The Sakoba is following the path of another hijacked ship, a Norwegian chemical tanker, which was seized on Friday near Madagascar. Both vessels appeared to be headed for the pirate stronghold of Haradheere, he said.
\nThe failed state of Somalia provides the perfect haven for pirates, which prey on the busy shipping lanes nearby. The Somali government is fighting an Islamist insurgency and cannot take on the well-armed, well-paid pirate gangs as well. Ransoms are typically several million dollars _ a fortune in a war-ravaged country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid.
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BOSSASO, Somalia \t\tJune 14<\/strong>, \t\t2009 –<\/strong> <\/strong>A \t\tCabinet minister in Somaila’s self-governing State of Puntland returned \t\thome Saturday from Ethiopia with a delegation led by the Puntland Vice \t\tPresident, Radio Garowe reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Farah Aden \t\tDhala, Puntland’s Planning and International Cooperation Minister, spoke \t\twith community-based Radio Garowe via telephone after returning to \t\tBossaso, the region’s commercial hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur trip to \t\tEthiopia was a follow-up of the President’s visit in March,\u201d Minister \t\tDhala said, adding that discussions with Ethiopian government officials \t\tin Addis Ababa ranged from security to trade relations.<\/p>\n

According to the \t\tPlanning Minister, Puntland and Ethiopian officials discussed the \t\tpossible opening of an Ethiopian Trade Office in Garowe, the capital of \t\tPuntland State, which would help facilitate travel and trade relations \t\tbetween the two sides.<\/p>\n

Further, the \t\tdiscussions covered ways of establishing airline relations of direct \t\tflights between Addis Ababa and Bossaso in order to help improve \t\tcommerce and strengthen trade ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur delegation \t\talso met with Ambassadors from several countries, including Sweden and \t\tGermany, while in Addis Ababa\u201d Planning Minister Dhala said, adding that \t\tdiscussions covered anti-piracy efforts.<\/p>\n

He noted that \t\tanti-piracy discussions with Western ambassadors were successful and \t\tthat the Puntland delegation informed the international community of the \t\t\u201cbest way to fight against pirates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, the \t\tPlanning Minister said that Ethiopian government officials want to play \t\ta \u201cneutral role\u201d in the conflict between Puntland and Somaliland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expressed \t\tPuntland\u2019s policy of retaking Las Anod and Ethiopian officials said they \t\twant Puntland and Somaliland to coexist peacefully,\u201d Mr. Dhala added.<\/p>\n

Las Anod, the \t\tcapital of Sool region, has been at the heart of the Somaliland-Puntland \t\tconflict since Dec. 2002 when Puntland security forces took control of \t\tthe provincial capital.<\/p>\n

In Oct. 2007, \t\tSomaliland troops took control of Las Anod after fierce battles forced \t\tupwards of 50,000 civilians to flee.<\/p>\n

Both Planning \t\tMinister Dhala and Puntland VP Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire hail from Sool \t\tregion, which is dominated by members of the Dhulbahante sub-clan within \t\tthe larger Darod clan-family.<\/p>\n

Source: Garowe \t\tOnline<\/em><\/p>\n