Suspected pirates have seized a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo ship carrying weapons bound for war-torn Somalia, a regional maritime official revealed on Sunday.
Andrew Mwangura, the head of East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said the ship was en route to war-ravaged Somalia, when Somali pirates attacked and seized on Sunday before diverted it to a northern Somali town called Garacad where it is currently held.
"She is one of the regular weapons carriers circumventing the U.N. arms embargo on Somalia," he told Reuters, adding that the ship now carrying weapons which include light ammunition, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades among others.
Somali pirates have confirmed that an arm-laden ship bound for Somali government is under their control but could not comment further for security concerns.
There have been some reports that warring Somali groups receive foreign military aid, which fuels the escalating conflict in the Horn of African nation.
A 16-year imposed arms embargo against Somalia has been constantly violated with weapons allegedly coming from Gulf States, according to a 2008 UN report.
Meanwhile, early on the day Somali pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at a Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker sailing 1,000 miles from the Somali coast, marking the longest range pirate attack launched off the pirate-infested Somali waters, the European Union's naval force said.
The sea gangs riding on two high speed boats carried out the attacked on BW Lion, a 330-metre long oil tanker some 400 nautical miles northeast of Seychelles Island.
“…a Hong Kong flagged, 160.000 tons and 330 meter long Crude Oil Tanker was attacked by pirates in two fast attack skiffs in the Indian Ocean, 400 nautical miles North East of the Seychelles and 1000 nautical miles East of Mogadishu,� said EU’s Operation ATALANTA. “This was the longest range of a pirate attack off the Somali coast ever.�
The statement said that the vessel managed to escape after the master increased speed and employed evasive measures.
The piracy menace along the international waters of Horn of Africa has been of concern to international community since Somalia-based pirates launched attack and subsequent seize dozens merchant vessels annually.
Somali pirates have seized more than 30 vessels since the start of the year, according to International Maritime Bureau, which monitors marine activities.