Pirates and naval servicemen jointly rescued a sailor, possibly Russian

20.12.2010 Maritime Bulletin reports of an unprecedented life salvage operation of a sailor from chemical tanker Hannibal II captured by pirates; the incident occurred on Friday, Dec 17 in the Indian Ocean.

"The tanker's shipmaster reported to anti-piracy command center on Dec 16 that one of crewmen had severe stomachache, suspected appendicitis. Somali pirates consented to evacuation. Thai warship TNS Pattani was the nearest one to the incident site. On Dec 17 the ship approached the tanker, and the sick sailor was carried by Zodiac-type inflatable boat. Afterwards, the Thai ship headed towards German frigate FGS Hamburg at full speed. As soon as it was possible, the sailor was transported to the frigate by helicopter, since medical staff and equipment are better there", says Mikhail Voitenko, editor-in-chief of Maritime Bulletin.

The nationality of the sick crewman has not been reported. "It is not improbable that the sailor is Russian, because the only Russian currently in pirate captivity is a crewmember of Hannibal II", writes Voitenko.

Somali pirates captured chemical tanker Hannibal II on Nov 2010; the tanker carried vegetable oil from Malaysia to Egypt. The crew consists of 31 men – 23 Tunisians, 4 Filipinos, 1 Russian, 1 Croatian, 1 Georgian, and 1 Moroccan.

Panamanian-flagged tanker Hannibal II was built in 1983, is operated by Gabes Marine Tankers (Tunisia), and has deadweight of 23,404 tons.