MV Blida Successfully Hijacked Only 150 Nautical Miles Off The Omani Coast
On the first day of the new year 2011, the first successful hijack of a vessel by pirates.
On the afternoon of 1 January, MV BLIDA was reported as being hijacked by pirates approximately 150NM Southeast of Salalah,
Oman in the Arabian Sea.The 20,586 tonne bulk carrier is Algeria-flagged and owned. The
vessel was on her way to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania from Salalah in Oman at
the time of the attack. No details of the attack are known by any maritime or military authorities at
this stage.
MV BILDA has a crew of 27 who are Algerian, Ukrainian and Filipino, however, the status of the crew has not been reported so far. At the time of the hijack the carrier was carrying a cargo of Clinker.
MV BLIDA vessel movement was
registered with the European Union's MSC(HOA) but had not reported to UKMTO prior to her transit.
MV BLIDA (Source: EUNAVFOR)
There are now 28 vessels and 654 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
As recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks.
Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution in the vicinity of the vessel and maintain
maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously.
Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (UKMTO@eim.ae or Telephone+971 50 552 3215).
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