Despite a significantly stepped up naval presence in the region, yet another ship was hijacked on Friday at 1240 GMT in the Gulf of Aden.
Denmark's Clipper Projects, operators of M.V. CEC Future, today reported that an emergency alarm had been activated on board the vessel and that it had been boarded by an unknown number of persons. The boarding was confirmed by a coalition aircraft.
According to a short statement from the Master, the 13 crew members (mainly Russian) were unharmed and the vessel was being directed towards the northern shore of Somalia.
In a second statement today, Clipper Projects said there had been no contact with the hijackers.
Clipper said the crew consisted of 11 Russian citizens, a Georgian and an Estonian and that, according to reports from the area, the vessel was sailing close to the Somalian northern shore.
"As piracy is part of trading today, Clipper crew is instructed on how to react if the vessel is hijacked," said the statement. "It has to be remembered that in the vast majority of hijacking cases the crew will be released unhurt after some time."
Clipper said it is in close communication with the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the crew and to establish contact to the hijackers.
M.V. CEC Future is a general cargo vessel of 4,980 GT, built in 1994 in Arhus and is flying Bahamian flag. The vessel is technically operated by Clipper Project Ship Management in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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