The news of the attacks came as the European Union's anti-piracy force said it had on Thursday morning been forced to release 18 suspected pirates after attempts to prosecute them failed.
Seoul-based Hanjin Shipping said its container vessel, with 14 South Koreans and six Indonesians on board, was attacked in the Indian Ocean, 460 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, on Wednesday evening. Contact with the ship, which last called into port in Gibraltar and was heading for Singapore, was lost.
In an unusual and commendable move to inform its customers, Hanjin Shipping quickly issued a press release announcing the ship's possible capture:
Possible Pirate Attack to Hanjin Tianjin V.026E
(2011-04-21)
Dear Valued Customer,
We have been informed by our vessel operation centre that on 20 April at 2313 Yemen local time (21 April 0513 Korean local time), the subject vessel Hanjin Tianjin V.026E has sent the emergency signals in the Indian Sea, 250 miles east of Socotra Island, Yemen near the Gulf of Aden en route to Singapore.
Considering the particular location, we cannot rule out the possibility of pirate attack though nothing has been confirmed yet. We are now closely liaising with relevant parties to understand the current situation and we also try to ensure the safety of our customers’ valuable cargoes and of course that of the ship’s crew.
We will keep you informed of developments in due course.
Thank you for your kind understanding regarding this matter.
Sincerely yours,
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd
The pirate attack also caused an instant 3.9% drop in the corporate owner's stock according to a Bloomberg story.
Maritime sources earlier told Somalia Report the vessel was believed to now be in the hands of a pirate group. However, the South Korean warship Choi Young headed straight for the vessel's last-known location, and found all of the crew members safe in the citadel, with no pirates in sight, Korean media quoted foreign ministry officials as saying.
On January 21, forces from the Choi Young killed eight pirates and rescued 21 crew members from a South Korean chemical tanker a mere six days after it was taken. This video provides coverage of that assault on the Samho Jewelry.
The Rosalia D'Amato, on its way to Iran from Brazil, was taken in the Arabian sea off the coast of Oman on Wednesday night, maritime sources said. The vessel has a crew of 21, comprising six Italians and 15 Filipinos.
Meanwhile, EU NAVFOR said the Finnish warship FNS POHJANMAA returned 18 suspected pirates to Somalia after requests to several states believed to have an interest in conducting a prosecution were unsuccessful. The suspects were captured on April 5 after allegedly attempting to seize the Singapore-flagged MV Pacific Opal.
Despite the presence of dozens of international warships off the coast of Somalia, piracy has continued to blossom, and the last few weeks has seen frenetic activity. According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were 97 attacks off Somalia in the first three months of 2010, more than double last year's figure over the same period. Some fifteen vessels were successfully seized. Since then, at least another three ships have been taken – including the above attacks – and three ships have been released for an estimated total of $23.5 million in ransom money.
The developments come two days after a counter-piracy conference in Dubai, where governments and private business pledged $4.5 million to strengthen prosecutions, jails and coastguard capability in Somalia and regional states.