Somalia:Pirates hold ship carrying suspicious containers off the coast of Somalia

24 Dec 24, 2011 - 12:31:18 AM

GARA’AD, Somalia Dec 24 2011 (Garowe Online) - A ship carrying suspicious containers is being held 40 km north of Gara’ad a pirate hub on the coast of Somalia, Radio Garowe reports.

The ship is an unknown ship having no registration according to the mayor of Gara’ad Abdikarim Kayton, the ship is also carrying 60 closed containers of an unknown substance.

Pirates on board the ship have said that the containers are carrying poison or some sort of chemicals according to local sources.

The ship’s captain who is of Yemeni descent has been killed by pirates and the rest of his crew is being held hostage.

Local authorities of Gara’ad have chased the pirates north of the town and have spoken to local media about their speculation of what the ship is carrying.

Mayor Kayton who spoke to reporters stated that, “It is unclear of what the ship is carrying or where the ship was headed before pirates had hijacked, for all we know there are containers carrying an unkown substance.”

It is unclear of who owns the ship since no country has claimed the ship since its hijack one and half years ago.

According to the DIW and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, the dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters by foreign vessels has also severely constrained the ability of local fishermen to earn a living and forced many to turn to piracy instead.
Source http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Pirates_hold_ship_carrying_suspicious_containers_off_the_coast_of_Somalia.shtml