Pirates haul tankers to Somali coast, extend range

Nairobi: Pirates were taking two European-owned tankers to Somali coastal havens yesterday and are likely to demand ransoms soon, with gangs striking further afield to avoid patrolling warships.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the ships, hijacked on Wednesday and Thursday, appeared to be en route to well-known pirate bases at Eyl or Hobyo on Somalia's eastern Indian Ocean coastline.

"How long it takes depends on the water current and the speed of the boats," he said, guessing that a demand for money from the ships' owners would come in the next 24 hours.

The 9,000-tonne MT Nipayia and the 23,000-tonne MT Bow Asir were seized within 24 hours in the biggest strikes since international naval forces deployed en masse at the end of 2008 to protect the region's busy sea lanes.

The Nipayia, a Greek-owned and Panama-registered ship with 19 crew on board, was taken on Wednesday 724 kilometres east of Somalia's south coast, the European Union and NATO said on their piracy-monitoring websites.

The Bow Asir, a Norwegian-owned and Bahamian-registered ship, was seized on Thursday 402 kilometres east of the coast.

Flush with huge ransoms for previous hijackings, the pirates are using ever-more sophisticated boats and equipment, as well as sinking their money into new houses, flashy cars and extra wives onshore.

Most began life as poor fishermen, and many unemployed youths in the country, mired in civil conflict since 1991, now see piracy as the only chance to strike it rich.