On the late afternoon of 1 January, UK Flagged M/V ASIAN GLORY (a vehicle carrier) owned by ZODIAC Maritime Agency, was hijacked in the Somali Basin approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 600 miles from the coast of Somalia.
ASIAN GLORY was well outside the normal EU NAVFOR operating area. The ship has a crew of 25 persons (8 Bulgarian, 10 Ukraines, 5 Indians, 2 Romanian) and all are reported to be well. The ship was registred with MSC HOA and was transiting north west towards the International Recommended Transiting Corridor that she was expected to enter 3 Jan.
The main tasks of EU NAVFOR mission Operation ATALANTA are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy wherever possible.
ASIAN GLORY was well outside the normal EU NAVFOR operating area. The ship has a crew of 25 persons (8 Bulgarian, 10 Ukraines, 5 Indians, 2 Romanian) and all are reported to be well. The ship was registred with MSC HOA and was transiting north west towards the International Recommended Transiting Corridor that she was expected to enter 3 Jan.
The main tasks of EU NAVFOR mission Operation ATALANTA are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy wherever possible.