A Russian oil tanker hijacked, South Korean ship escapes

On the morning of 5 May, a Liberia-flagged oil tanker MOSCOW UNIVERSITY, owned by the Russian NOVOSHIP Company, was hijacked approximately 350 n. m. east of Socatra. At the time of the attack, the 106,474dwt MOSCOW UNIVERSITY was heading east with a final destination of China. The ship has a crew of 23, all from Russia, and all are believed to be well, EU NAVFOR press release said.

MOSCOW UNIVERSITY, was not registered with Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) for their recent transit through the IRTC but they had reported to UKMTO.

A Russian warship has reportedly been heading towards the scene. EU NAVFOR continues to monitor the situation.

The ship owner, Novoship Company announced today that they had lost at 08.50 MT any contacts with the vessel. The company confirmed an earlier report that said the pirates had hijacked the tanker. The shipmaster has managed to report that “all of the crew members are well, the tanker has had no visible damages", the Company statement said.

Another hijack attempt came this morning, when the South Korean-flagged vessel MV OCEAN TRADER, was attacked by a pirates action group approximately 200 n. m.,  North West of Comoros islands. The 39.833dwt ship has managed to evade the attack, the report says.

(Source: Port News)