Nairobi - A large Panama-flagged oil tanker operated by a Japanese company had narrowly escaped an attack by Somali pirates, a Kenyan maritime body said on Sunday.
"A Panama-flagged oil tanker, MT Golden Elizabeth, was attacked yesterday (Sunday) by eight pirates in a small wooden boat in the Gulf of Aden," said Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
"The tanker took evasive navigation and the pirates aborted the attack. No casualty was reported," he said, adding that the tanker was continuing its journey and communicating with the US navy.
Mwangura said 13 Filipino crew were on board the tanker.
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Somali pirates are holding several ships in the area.
Somalia's waters are among the most dangerous in the world. Dozens of ships have been seized since the start of the year. They are often held for several weeks and are generally released after large ransoms are paid by governments or ship owners.
Maritime experts say many attacks go unreported along Somalia's 3 700km of largely unpatrolled coastline.
In recent months, a multinational taskforce based in Djibouti has been patrolling parts of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, where a pirate mothership is believed to be operating. - Sapa-AFP
- This article was originally published on page 7 of The Mercury on September 15, 2008
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