Russian warship races to rescue Russian tanker hijacked by pirates

05.05.2010 Russian oil tanker Moscow University with 23 Russians on board was captured by pirates 350 miles offshore in the Gulf of Aden despite attempted maneuvering, reported Associated Press and Reuters referring to Jan Tornqvist, EU NAVFOR representative.

Pirates boarded the tanker; crewmembers locked themselves in the radar room.

Shipmaster of Moscow University contacted Pacific Fleet large ASW ship Marshal Shaposhnikov deployed in the region right after pirates' assault; the warship was dispatched to the incident area and will expectedly reach it at least at 01.00 am May 6. The tanker's crew doesn't get on for the radio contact.

In the morning of May 5 the tanker was fired by pirates sailing on two fast-speed cutters 350 miles offshore in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden. Liberian-flagged tanker belonging to Novorossiysk Shipping Company (Novoship) was carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil from the Red Sea to China; the ship's displacement is 106,500 tons.

Vessels captured by pirates with Russians/Ukrainians on board

St James Park. UK-flagged chemical carrier was captured at the Gulf of Aden while sailing from Spain to Thailand on Dec 28, 2009. There are 3 Russians, 2 Ukrainians, 6 Indians, 5 Bulgarians, 3 Turks, 3 Filipinos, 2 Romanians, 1 Georgian, and 1 Pole on board. Ship's deadweight is 13,924 tons.

Asian Glory. UK-flagged automobile carrier was captured 900 nautical miles north Seychelles on Jan 1, 2010 while sailing from Singapore to Saudi Arabia. There are 10 Ukrainians, 8 Bulgarians, 5 Indians, 2 Romanians and 2,405 Hyundai and KIA cars on board.

Frigia. Maltese-flagged ship with 2 Ukrainians and 19 Turks was hijacked on March 23, 2010 off Indian coast. Ship's deadweight is 35,244 tons.