Taken by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, 400 miles north-east of the Seychelles, on December 20, 2010; loaded with 26,000 tons of coal. Initial ransom demands of $2.2 million were made. On June 15, 2011, the vessel caught fire in 18 miles off Harardhere, Somalia. The Somali pirates rescued the 19 crew aboard the hijacked ship. The fire (reported as a cooking fire) burned for more than a day, while the pirates tried to put it out. The bridge was heavily damaged by the fire. Pirates shot and killed one of the ship's crew members and wounded another, in August 2012 over delayed ransom payments. The ship was released, along with 13 of the 21 crew on October 19, 2012, after a ransom (reported as $400,000 or $600,000) was paid. The remaining crew were subsequently freed, with the last three being released in January 2013.
The ship was laid up in Salalah, Oman, before being towed to Pakistan for scrap in 2016. |