From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General cargo vessel active off the Horn of Africa
|
History
|
Name
| MV Almezaan
|
Owner
| Shahmir Maritime,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
|
Operator
| Biyat International, Dubai,
UAE
|
Port of registry
| Panama
|
Route
| Dubai to Mogadishu
|
Launched
| 1979
|
Notes
| IMO number
:
7906710
|
General characteristics
|
Tonnage
| 2886 dwt
|
Length
| 89 meters
|
Beam
| 13 meters
|
Crew
| 17
|
The
MV
Almezaan
is a general cargo vessel active off the
Horn of Africa
.
[1]
Originally built as the
Tarcau
, she was renamed in November 2001. The name can be translated from
Arabic
as "the balance" or "the
scales
" as well as justice and equity.
[
citation needed
]
Pirate attacks
[
edit
]
The vessel has been attacked three times by
Somali pirates
. The first attack and capture was 1 May 2009, when the vessel, said to be taking wheat and used vehicles to
Mogadishu
, was captured and taken to
Harardhere
. It was released on 6 May 2009, reportedly without a ransom being paid and after it was confirmed that it had been hired by a local trader.
[2]
The second attack was 8 November 2009. The ship was held off
Garacad
and released on 19 November 2009, after a ransom of $15,000 was paid.
[3]
The ship was believed to be carrying small arms, ammunition, rockets, and
rocket-propelled grenades
,
[4]
[5]
as well as armoured vehicles, but this was later denied by the owners.
The ship was again attacked on 20 March 2010, while on its way to Mogadishu. The attack was repelled by a private security guard convoy, and one pirate was killed.
[6]
Six suspected pirates were captured by
Navfor
the same day, but released after the master and crew of the
Almezaan
refused to testify.
[7]
[8]
References
[
edit
]