31.3.10

CHOL SAN BONG : pirates attacks "well south"



Chol San Bong Chong Nyon Ho IMO: 8829579
MAGNOLIA MGA SHIPPING CO LTD
Dem.People's Rep. Of Korea
Built 1985,6458gt,14000dwt,130,8x18,4x7,9(d)m,12kn.
North off the Kenya-Somali boundary , 9 North-Korean sailors were wounded in the heavy fighting.

North-Korea-flagged (Dem.People's Rep. Of Korea) 9,760 dwt MV CHOL SAN BONG CHONG NYON HO,

owner MAGNOLIA MGA SHIPPING CO LTD , Kimchaek, Hamgyongbuk-do, North Korea,
Kuala Lumpur - Heavily armed Somali pirates shot and wounded nine seafarers during a bloody attempt to hijack a North Korean cargo ship off Kenya on Wednesday.

"There was a very violent attack against a North Korean vessel by Somali pirates who used automatic rifles and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades)," Pottengal Mukundan, director of the London based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said

"Nine crew members have been seriously injured as a result of the attack," he added.

Mukundan said Somali pirates, who have become a serious hazard for shipping in the region, attacked the ship which was heading to Mombasa.
"Despite coming under heavy attack, the pirates were unable to board the ship," he said.

Mukundan said IMB had relayed news of the attack to the relevant authorities to provide assistance to the crew.

Urging seafarers to remain alert, he said pirates were shifting their attacks against ships "well south of the previous areas of risk, threatening the trade route into Mombasa and Dar es Salaam."

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