MV ALBEDO HIJACKED BY PIRATES OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA

In the early hours of 26 November, Somali pirates hijacked a Malaysian-flagged ship with 23 crew members on board in the Indian Ocean the European Union’s anti-piracy task force said. The Kenya-bound MV Albedo, by the time of Hijack by Somali Pirates, was approximately 900 nautical miles East of Mogadishu (Somalia). The ship originated from the United Arab Emirates’ port town of Jebel Ali.

The Malaysian flagged and owned, with a crew of 23 (Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Iranian) was carrying containers bound for Mombasa from Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With MV ALBEDO, Somali pirates are currently holding 22 vessels with 521 hostages. It is now reported that, there were no Malaysians on board the ship.

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The anti-piracy force (EUNAV) says Somalia has not had an effective government for 19 years, allowing piracy to flourish off its coast turning it into a perfect refuge for criminal gangs. Piracy has long been a problem in the Indian Ocean off Somalia.

On Aug 19, 2008, the Bunga Melati Dua, with 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipinos on board, was hijacked at 10.09pm. Then on Aug 29 that year, Bunga Melati Lima, with 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos on board, was hijacked in Yemeni waters at 9.50pm. The ships were released by Somali pirates after a ransom was paid.

Media reports claimed the MISC had paid US$2mil (RM6.9mil) for the release of each vessel.

Following these incidents, an international conference on piracy was organised by the Malaysian Government asking the United Nations to coordinate maritime force operations to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia. Government officials and representatives of naval and shipping bodies who gathered for a two-day meeting organised by Wisma Putra, felt that successful mechanisms established by the littoral states of the Straits of Malacca must be adopted.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre helpline based in Kuala Lumpur, the ship’s exact location is also still unknown. While IMB confirmed there were no Malaysians on board, it declined to reveal details of the ship’s owner. IMB said that investigations were still ongoing. IMB also advised other ships to be on the alert for prirate attacks.

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