Samho Jewelry: Somalia accepts frozen bodies

Somalia agreed to take over the remains of the eight pirates killed by ROKN seals and South Korea agreed to pay for transporting them. Seoul is considering various transportation means, including chartering a cargo plane. It is expected to take at least a week to complete the process.

The bodies were being kept in a refrigerator aboard the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry after the Jan. 21 rescue operation to free the cargo ship and its 21 crew members. Five other pirates were captured and all of the crew were rescued alive, though the captain was seriously wounded.

The chemical carrier has since moved to the Omani port of Muscat and is stationed there. On February 9, the bodies were removed from the ship and taken to a police hospital mortuary in Oman. The freighter planned to leave the port later February 10.
Yonhap

Samho Jewelry: no country would take detainees

- South Korea is considering forging agreements with some neighboring countries of Somalia to seek their help in handling captured pirates, an official said Wednesday.

The move came after Seoul was unable to find a country willing to accept the five pirates captured in last month's commando operation to free the South Korean freighter Samho Jewelry and its 21-member crew.

The pirates were then brought to South Korea for investigation and trial.
Yonhap

Samho Jewelry: Arai Mahomed fingered as shooter

Seok Hae-Kyun, 58, the skipper of the chemical carrier Samho Jewelry, which had been captured by pirates in the Arabian Sea, was shot repeatedly as South Korean navy commandos stormed the vessel on January 21. Seok underwent two operations in an Oman hospital and was flown home Saturday and is currently in intensive care at a hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Seok's abdominal organs are badly damaged. "It's hard to tell how many bullets are still in his body, because many bullet fragments are scattered in the arms as well." bullet fragments

In Busan the five, including a man identified as Arai Mahomed, have been questioned in the presence of state-appointed lawyers, a lengthy process that involves translations between Somali, English and Korean.
They also told interrogators that all 13 pirates spent 15 days together in a training camp to plot taking over the freighter.

"Because of conflicting testimony by the pirates, the investigation focused on who shot Captain Seok."

He said Mahomed denied responsibility, although some of the crew pointed the finger at him. After intense interrogation Jan 31, the pirates were taken into a detention center and spent their second night in Korea. An official at the South Regional Headquarters of the Coast Guard said they were served steamed rice, soup and other side dishes for dinner at 7:25 p.m., emptying their plates.

They then went to bed at around 9 p.m., the official said, adding that all five men slept well without waking up in the middle of night. “The pirates seem to be relaxed and do not appear afraid at all. We will do everything we can to keep them protected here,” he said.

"We have evidence supporting the fact that one of the five pirates shot Captain Seok," chief investigator Kim Chung-Gyu said. The five could face life in prison if convicted of shooting the Samho Jewelry's captain. If he were to die, they could theoretically be sentenced to death, although the country has carried out no executions since 1997. Somalia has agreed to accept the bodies of the other pirates, the spokesman said.

Samho Jewelry: Serum, Ali, Brallat, Arai, arrested

The South Korean Busan District Court approved the issuance of arrest warrants in the hijacking of Samho Jewelry for the suspects ― identified as Serum Abdullah, Ali Abdullah, Ali Abukad-Aeman, Brallat Aul and Arai Mahomed ― on suspicions of maritime robbery and attempted murder.
“Many of them do not speak Arabic, which is widely used in Somalia. Since their country has been engaged in internal feuds for decades, there are barely any documents to certify their identification,” an official added.

Meanwhile, the government is planning to bury the bodies of the eight dead pirates at sea as the Somali government has been lukewarm in taking them. Seoul officials called the offered handover a humanitarian approach, but the Omani government, who stepped forward as a mediator, said it is yet to receive any response from the Somali counterpart.

Samho Jewelry, registered in Valletta, Malta [Malta-flag] by Global Shipholding 1, an investment product of Acta Holding ASA, Stavanger, Norway, with a bareboat charter back to Samho Shipping Company, South Korea, the disponent owner of the vessel.
see
compare
US Navy

Samho jewelry: one or two people lost acceptable

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said, “If one or two people were lost during the operation, the people would accept this, but more would lead to criticism that the operation was reckless, and the military took this into consideration.”when the Cheonghae Unit began its rescue operation on Jan. 21, the pirates looked the Korean crew, who had taken refuge under blankets on the bridge, in the face and took several aimed shots at ship captain Seok Hae-gyun,
Seok is suffering blood poisoning from gunshot wounds in the abdomen and fractured legs, in addition to a blood clotting disorder due to a low platelet count. "He's weakening rapidly," the official added.

Seok received an emergency operation to treat the infection at the hospital in the presence of a Korean medical team of three led by Prof. Lee Kook-jong of Ajou University Hospital, who is an expert on gunshot wounds.

In a press conference right after the surgery, Lee said, "Seok has very serious wounds. The latest operation was only part of efforts to slow down the pace of deterioration, but many operations will be needed."

He said Seok's abdominal organs are badly damaged. "It's hard to tell how many bullets are still in his body, because many bullet fragments are scattered in the arms as well."

The plan to transfer him to Korea will therefore likely be delayed.

Samho Jewelry: the captured piratesand corpses

Seok Hae-gyun, the ship’s 58-year-old captain, was rushed to Oman’s Port of Salalah and had a five-hour operation shortly after Jan. 21's rescue. Seok was shot several times by a pirate believed to be the leader when special forces began the rescue. The shooter was captured by the Korean military.Eight pirates were killed and five captured. Three special forces soldiers were also wounded during the mission.
The Samho Jewelry, escorted by the 4,500-ton Navy destroyer Choi Young, sailed to the Muscat, Oman’s capital. Although the ships are close to their destination, they are to enter the port on January 27, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, as more time is needed to discuss how to handle the captured pirates and the corpses of those killed during the rescue. Despite the risks involved, Seok secretly mixed water with engine oil to stop its engines, the military said, which significantly slowed the ship. He also changed the ship’s course to ensure it remained in international waters as long as possible to assist the rescue operation. Joongang

Samho Jewelry: retaken by storming ROKN Seals

South Korean destroyer Choi Young, with some 300 special troops, pursued the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry and special forces stormed the Samho Shipping Co. earlier today and freed all hostages,"the forces captured five pirates alive. There were 13 pirates aboard the Samho Jewelry.
The South Korean captain of the ship suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach during the operation, but his condition is not life-threatening, Lee said. As the operation began, the destroyer and Lynx helicopters fired warning shots in the air after the elite forces silently approached the deck of the Samho Jewelry. Armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the pirates put up resistance and the South Korean forces immediately returned fire.

The operation, which took place in high seas about 1,300 kilometers off northeast Somalia, lasted about five hours. Tuesday's firefight left several pirates missing, and they are believed to have been killed, though their bodies have not been found, officials said. Three South Korean soldiers suffered minor injuries and were sent to a hospital in Oman.

Friday's rescue operation came after a brief gun battle on Tuesday when the South Korean destroyer Choi Young detected Somali pirates who apparently got off the vessel to hijack a Mongolian vessel nearby.

The South Korean special forces aboard a fast-sailing Navy boat and a Lynx helicopter were dispatched to rescue the Mongolian vessel, sparking the gun battle.

Samho Jewelry: no direct negotiations with pirates

The government remains firm not to directly negotiate with the pirates or pay ransom. Foreign Ministry said it will "not get dragged into" the psychological warfare often launched by the Somali pirates. Korea Herald Korean ships sail through the waters more than 500 times a year, so protecting all of them is impossible. Dong-A Ilbo "From March to October last year, a total of 925 Korean vessels passed by the waters off Somalia. More than 20 percent of the ships that pass through this pirate-infested region of the world are Korean-flagged vessels, and some 29 percent of its shipping freight must sail through this danger zone. JoonAng Daily Ships operated by large Korean conglomerates apparently hire former special forces soldiers who served in Eastern Europe or Central Asia, paying them more than $10,000 a day during the five to seven days the ship passes through pirate-infested waters. In most countries, It is no use deploying the destroyers after a commercial ship has been hijacked and it could actually endanger the lives of the hostages. Chosen Ilbo The news comes as a blow for Samho Shipping after it wrapped up a nightmarish seven months of negotiations with Somali pirates last November for the return of the Samho Dream, which was hijacked last April. The negotiations were reported to have been dragged out by major investors in the pirate ring, who kept hiking up the ransom amount.

The company ended up paying $9.5 million. earlier

Samho Jewelry: MOFAT rules out ransom

KDX-II class



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFAT) ruled out the possibility of paying ransom or negotiating with hostage takers.
The hijacked chemical tanker, named Samho Jewelry, belongs to Samho Shipping, the same company that suffered a major setback after its 300,000-ton tanker and its 24 crew were hijacked by Somali pirates last year.

It has been only two months since Somalia pirates released the crew of the oil tanker after holding them hostage for 217 days in return for a record ransom of more than over $9 million.
A multinational fleet, comprising of DDH 981 Choi Young KDX-II destroyer, and other vessels from the U.S., NATO member states, Russia and India, has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters to clamp down on piracy.
Officials from MOFAT said Cheonghae unit’s 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young began to move toward the hijacked freighter, but it would take at least two days to reach it.
They also confirmed the safety of all crew members of the freighter. Korea Times
earlier

Samho Jewelry: Samho Shipping chemtanker

Samho Jewelry, Malta-flag, 19924 dwt chemical carrier, from the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka hijacked January 15Somali pirates seized a South Korean freighter with 21 crew members in the Arabian Sea, South Korea's government said Saturday. the Samho Dream, a South Korean supertanker, was hijacked and released in 2010. here and more
Washington Post

9249594 SAMHO JEWELRY 9HHF9 Tanker 19924 2001 Malta

Samho Dream and Golden Blessing: go 19 million

Think of the web of corporations, law firms, P&I clubs, not to mention varieties of footpads that made this happen. How many cover-me e-mails, memos, and cups of tea, etc.

Samho Dream laden with $170 million worth of oil, and Golden Blessing no doubt carried much the same.

Samho Dream: back at Hobyo

Since the 4th of October the Samho Dream is again held off Hobyo at the central Somali Indian Ocean coast. back earlier more also see read

Samho Dream: vessel at large

On September 14 morning, hijacked MV Samho Dream departed from Somalia
with pirates on board ... the tanker was sighted heading east and 80 nautical
miles from Somali coast. On Sep 5, 2010, new demands of the pirates holding the "Samho Dream" were issued, but rejected by the owners. There are two warships keeping a watch close by, staging mock attacks and caused tension on board, which made the pirates to issue a statement that they would blow up the oil-tanker if the harassment would not stop and no ransom would be paid soon. Though negotiations with the owners are ongoing no conclusion has been reached. The vessel was moved from Hobyo, where she was held since her capture until the advancement of Al-Shabaab spearheaded Hizb-ul-Islam groups, to Garacad, but was returned to Hobyo. The 24-member crew with five Koreans and 19 Filipinos is said to be living in sub-human conditions. The abuses are getting worse as the pirates deprive them of sleep and food and threaten to kill them one by one if a ransom is not paid. The captain expressed frustration towards the Samho Shipping Company's silence over the pirates' latest demands. A Samho Shipping official said that the $20 million demanded by the
pirates is too high.

Samho Dream: 30 million ransom demand

Captain Kim, Myung-Sung, the Commanding Officer of the Republic of Korea Navy destroyer CHUNGMUGONG YI SUN-SHIN



A South Korean foreign affairs source on April 14 said CHUNGMUGONG YISUNSHIN DDH-975 KDX-2 class destroyer dispatched to trail the Samho Dream, a supertanker that was hijacked by Somalian pirates on April 4 had been given orders to break off pursuit and return to base. According to another source, the pirates demanded $10 million to $30 million in ransom for the men aboard the tanker from operator Samho Shipping. The 319,000 deadweight tonnage Samho Dream, which was built in 2002, is carrying crude oil that could be worth as much as $170 million at current oil prices. It holds the equivalent of more than one day's worth of Iraqi exports.

Samho Dream: Hijacked 'anchors near Somalia'

South Korea says a super-tanker hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean has anchored about 7km (four miles) off the coast of Somalia.

The foreign ministry in Seoul said the 300,000-ton ship, laden with crude oil, arrived late on April 7. South Korean owner of the ship, Samho Shipping Company, has also made its first contact with the pirates as the hijackers demanded direct talks with the ship's owner. "The pirates have told the navy unit through the ship's captain that all crew members are currently safe, but their lives will be at risk if the navy ship tried to close in on the Samho Dream,"