shipping
Hamburg freighter attacked by pirates
The Hamburg multipurpose freighter Basilisk was heading north at the time of the attack. Photo
© Dietmar Hasenpusch/dpa
For years, there have been repeated pirate attacks on merchant ships off the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean. Now the Hamburg freighter “Basilisk” has been hit.
Pirates have stolen a hamburger off the East African country of Somalia Freighter hijacked. According to the EU naval operation Atalanta, the incident occurred on Thursday evening in the Indian Ocean around 700 kilometers east of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
A warship patrolling nearby rushed to help and freed the multipurpose freighter “Basilisk”, which sails under the Liberian flag. The 17 crew members are safe, said the Atalanta operations command in Rota, Spain. One crew member was injured in the attack, but is in a stable condition.
The approximately 160-meter-long cargo ship belongs to the Hamburg-based Minship shipping company. According to Atalanta’s command, it was traveling north at the time of the attack. Marines abseiled from a helicopter onto the freighter after the warship arrived.
Pirate attacks are a frequent occurrence in this sea area. A multinational EU naval mission has been patrolling there since 2008 to secure the important shipping route.