[Iran Press TV Latest] A Marshall Island-flagged chemical tanker traveling off the coast of Madagascar has been hijacked by Somali pirates. According to the ship's Norwegian owner Broevigtank, the vessel named UBT Ocean was traveling from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam.
Meanwhile, the director of the company Svenn Pedersen said that contact with the tanker was lost soon after the ship's captain called to say pirates were aboard the ship.
The official added that the 9,000 tonnage ship, carrying fuel oil, had come under attack although it was sailing further south of the zone where pirates usually operate.
The tanker, with 21 crew members onboard, now appeared northbound towards Somalia, Pedersen said.
However, crews are reportedly successfully repelling more attacks, making it harder for pirates to hijack ships and earn multi-million dollar ransoms.
March and April are the most dangerous months of the year for ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Nearly half the 47 ships hijacked off Somali waters last year were hijacked in these two months.
In one incident on Friday, six pirates attacked a French fishing boat although a French military detachment onboard fired warning shots at them. The ship then approached the skiff and collided with it, sinking the skiff and throwing the pirates into the water. Four were rescued, but two others went missing.
In a separate attack, again on a French vessel, eleven pirates were taken into custody by the EU Naval Force.
In a third and fourth attack, pirates assaulted two Spanish tuna fishing boats off the coast of Kenya. A Spanish navy plane intercepted and repelled the attacks.