Mitsui OSK Marshall Islands-flag

THE Marshall Islands Registry expects to have 3m gt of Japanese-owned tonnage by the end of the year through business won from Mitsui OSK Lines.
Japanese shipowners have committed 35 vessels totaling 1.5 million gross tons to the Marshall Islands flag in 2009. In total, Asian shipowners will contribute some 2.8 million gross tons in 2009 with 750,000 gross tons from Korea and 500,000 gross tons from China.

The Marshall Islands fleet has grown by 30 percent a year, on average, for the last five years and has been the world s fourth largest registry since 2005. As of 30 April 2009, the Marshall Islands fleet comprised more than 2000 vessels at 49.2 million gross tons and is expected to surpass the 50 million gross ton mark by year s end.

Mitsui OSK Line (MOL) became the first major shipowner in Japan, in '06, to register a vessel with the Marshall Islands Maritime Registry. Vessel was the Opal Express, a 28,850gt product tanker newbuilding from the Iwagi Zosen shipyard in Japan.

Release of Togo-flag MV Sea Horse

Pirates have released the Togo-flag MV Sea Horse, which then docked at the Kenya's port of Mombasa. The ship would undergo some repairs as the engine was malfunctioning and receive supplies.
The Togo-flagged ship seized by pirates "off the Horn of Africa" "east of Mogadishu" April 14 with 19 crew as it headed to India to pick up more than 7,000 tons of U.N. food. The Sea Horse tried to get help, radioing its predicament to the HMCS Winnipeg. It was too late. By the time the helicopter reached the ship it was under pirate control.

The food aid freighter left after US $100,000 was paid by "Somali businessmen" "Somali traders were involved in the release of this ship. They mediated and paid some money. I think it was not more than $100,000," "after two Dubai-based Somali businessmen intervened and paid off the pirates"( or maybe "the owner of the ship paid about 200,000 dollars"). The Lebanese operator, Sealink SARL, said the ship's owner was a Syrian national and could not confirm the amount of the ransom. A piracy expert , said "since the Sea Horse had no cargo yet, it was probably less valuable anyway."
"There are bullet marks on the walls and some window panes have been shattered. The pirates stole 20,000 U.S. dollars in cash from the crew and took all their clothes,"

Somali clan elder Abdisalan Khalif Ahmed from the Somali pirate haven of Harardhere, said gunmen released the ship after they found out it was supposed to pick up food for their own countrymen.

In sum, the small vessel recently sailing under an assortment of flags, was offered to and accepted by the World Food Programme, sailed from the Med to Gaan/Harardhere "empty" en route to India 2,193 miles away, to return with 7,000 tons of grain.
clan·des·tine

Panama-flag tanker NIPAYIA released

Somali pirates have released a single hull chemical/oil tanker owned by Delair Maritime of Liberia. Panama-flagged ship was hijacked March 25 off Somalia's southern coast.
NIPAYIA

IMO NUMBER 9162069
VESSEL TYPE CHEMICAL/OIL TANKER
HULL TYPE SINGLE HULL
GROSS TONNAGE 5.357 tons
SUMMER DWT 8.742 tons
BUILD 1997 BUILDER USUKI SHIPYARD USUKI - JAPAN
FLAG PANAMA
MANAGER LOTUS SHIPPING ATHENS - GREECE
OWNER DELAIR MARITIME LIBERIA
INSURER UK P&I CLUB U.K.

since 2002 Feb 18 GOLDEN DIANE

Panama-flag Malaspina Castle and the helicopter

"We got a $2 million ransom for the release of the Panamanian-flag ship, a helicopter brought the money." Pirate Mohamed Saleh, from the Somali coastal village of Eyl

Panamanian-flag Malaspina Castle released

IMO Number: 7915967
MMSI Number: 372574000
Country: Panama
Callsign: 3EJN8
Length: 183.0m
Beam: 28.0m


FORMER NAMES since 2005 Jan 21 ADVENTURE
FORMER FLAGS since 2005 Feb 04 GREECE since 1994 Feb 01 LIBERIA

BNAVI MARINA DI CARRARA - ITALY
(Vittorio Bogazzi & Figli SpA)

The 30,000-ton ship was hijacked on April 6. The crew included 16 sailors from Bulgaria, four Filipinos, two Ukrainians, a Russian and an Indian.. Officials said all of the crew members appear to be in good health.

Slow Netherlands Antilles-flag Marathon seized

Netherlands Antilles-flag vessel, MV Marathon, was seized when 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of the Yemeni port of Mukalla. The vessel is a small coke carrier and reportedly had a crew of eight Ukranian citizens on board.

The ship's owner is the Western Marine Transport NV, and operator is Cargadoor Amons & Co (the Netherlands).

1976-built, 2,579 dwt IMO 7529330 PJUL

MV Victoria, Antigua and Barbuda-flag, slow speed

MV Victoria, Antigua and Barbuda-flag, 11 Romanian crew members, was taken yesterday afternoon about 120 nautical miles north of the Somali port of Boosaaso. It was a relatively easy target because of its slow speed and low railing. A Turkish frigate responded to a call for help by sending a helicopter, but the ship already was in the pirates' hands by the time it arrived.

Call sign: V2BQ5
IMO No.: 9290074
Port of Registry: St. John's
Flag: Antigua & Barbuda
Built: Dec 2003
Owners: MS "Victoria" Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Reederei KG, Weedendamm 26/28, D - 49733 Haren (Ems)
Trustees: Victoria Shipping Company Ltd., St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda
Type: multipurpose vessel for transport of bulk, steel coils, containers, forrest products, general cargoes, dangerous cargoes acc. to SOLAS regulation 54-II-2, excluding explosives and nuclear materials (Class I and VII)

Intersee Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG, Weedendamm 26 - 28, 49733 Haren (Ems) - Germany

Maltese-flag Ariana seized by pirates at dawn

MV Ariana, was seized around dawn, carrying 35,000 tons of soya, about 250 nautical miles (287 miles) northwest of the Seychelles.
The crew members are Ukrainians and they are not believed to harmed.
MV ARIANA
IMO number :8014150
Call Sign :9HZS5
Gross tonnage :37955
Type of ship :Bulk Carrier
Year of build :1984
Flag :Malta


owner/agent Seven Seas Maritime Ltd. (SSM) London