VLCC with 2M bbls in the hands of Somali pirates

Captains,

A third VLCC has become a victim of piracy. A South Korean destroyer caught up with it in the Indian Ocean, but now what? Recent naval actions to recapture pirated ships have been successful. A fully loaded VLCC introduces particularly challenging limits for the rescuers, however. Hopefully all will end well in this case.

RADM W

06 Apr 2010

A SOUTH Korean warship today caught up with Samho Dream, the VLCC that was hijacked by pirates over the weekend.

“The destroyer Chungmugong Yisunshin arrived in waters near the Samho Dream at around 1:20 am [Seoul time] and is now operating in its vicinity," a Korean foreign ministry official told the country’s Yonhap news agency today.

The warship is keeping a close watch on the 319,360dwt vessel, the report said. Government officials earlier said there would be no attempt to intercept or board the hijacked vessel lest the crew be endangered.

The Korean-operated tanker has 19 Filipino and five Korean crew members. It was seized in the Indian Ocean on 4 April while en route from Iraq to the US. The tanker’s cargo of 2M barrels of crude, worth up to $170M at current market prices, is owned by Valero Energy of San Antonio, Texas, and destined for a refinery on the Gulf of Mexico, according to IHS Global Insight.


Meanwhile, a Dutch warship has recaptured a German-flagged box ship soon after its hijacking in the Indian Ocean, EU NAVFOR reported today.

The 12,612dwt Taipan was hijacked yesterday about 500 n-miles off Somalia, forcing its crew to stop the ship’s engines, hide in a secure strong room and alert the anti-piracy force.

EU NAVFOR sent the light cruiser Tromp to find Taipan. Marines boarded the ship, took control and detained the suspected pirates onboard.