In the afternoon of 1 January, the MV BLIDA was pirated approximately 150 nautical miles South East of the port of Salalah, Oman.
The 20,586 tonne Bulk Carrier is Algerian flagged and owned. The vessel was on her way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from Salalah in Oman at the time of the attack. No further details of the attack are known at this stage. MV Blida has a crew of 27 (Algerian, Ukrainian and Philippino) and is carrying a cargo of Clinker. MV BLIDA was registered with MSC(HOA) but had not reported to UKMTO.
There are now 28 vessels and 654 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EUNAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.
The 20,586 tonne Bulk Carrier is Algerian flagged and owned. The vessel was on her way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from Salalah in Oman at the time of the attack. No further details of the attack are known at this stage. MV Blida has a crew of 27 (Algerian, Ukrainian and Philippino) and is carrying a cargo of Clinker. MV BLIDA was registered with MSC(HOA) but had not reported to UKMTO.
There are now 28 vessels and 654 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EUNAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.