Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
16 June 2011
Harardhere — A fire on Wednesday night ripped trough a Panama flagged cargo ship held by Somali pirates off country’s coastal town of Haradhere in Mudug region in central Somalia, a pirate said.
A pirate, who identified his name as Sugule, told Shabelle, a local radio station that they managed to evacuate all crew onboard the ship. There are nineteen crewmembers from Pakistan, Syria, Bangladesh and Egypt.
“All of the crew are in good condition and are moved to the ground area of Harardhere coastal town” Sugule said. “The MV Orna cargo ship has been caught by a huge fire on Wednesday evening and electricity related defect has been probably the factor of fire” he explained. He noted that some other pirates came to help extinguish the fire, but all efforts ended in failure.
Asked about when the ship was abducted, the pirate said that UAE registered cargo vessel, which was loaded with coal, has fallen in their hands in December last year.
The ship was pirated heading towards to United Arab Emirates after sailing from South Africa, according to Somali pirates.
The coastal town of Harardhere is a Somali pirates’ lair about 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of strife-torn Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. It is sourced from AHN.
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Fire Rips Through Panama Flagged Cargo Ship Held By Somali Pirates