Spanish Boat Playa de Bakio Attacked by Pirates - Crew Held Hostage
A Spanish boat, the Playa de Bakio carrying a crew of 26, has been taken over by pirates off the Somali coast according to a spokesman from Spain's foreign ministry. The crew of the Playa de Bakio are being held hostage for ransom aboard the boat.
Thirteen Spanish nationals, and thirteen African crew-members were on board the fishing boat when it was seized by pirates on Sunday about 400 kilometers off the coast of Somalia.
A source from the Basque government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Food department told the Spanish news agency, Efe, that four armed pirates took control of the boat using grenade launchers.
The boat, which is based in the Basque town of Bremeo, is reported to be heading to Somalia.
"The defence ministry has instructed one of its ships which is nearby to head immediately to the area of the incident," a foreign ministry's statement said.
According to the Agriculture ministry, all 26 members of the crew are safe and well though their boat the Playa de Bakio sustained some minor damage in the skirmish that led to its seizure.
Speaking in broken English on Spanish National Radio, a man who is thought to be one of the pirates said today they wanted "money," after grabbing the phone from the Playa de Bakio's captain who had been contacted on board the boat.
"I am the captain of the boat... we are all well and there is no problem, for the moment there is no problem," the captain said in Spanish, before being interrupted by a pirate who said he was a member of a "Somalia militia."
Cadena Ser, a Spanish radio station, said it managed to get through to the boat and hold a short, frantic conversation with one sailor. In 12 seconds, the sailor asked four times that the broadcaster not call back. "Please do not call back. They are watching us," the crewman said, according to Cadena Ser.
The defence ministry "has already entered into contact with NATO authorities," the Spanish government said in a statement today. "We have sought the help of France and the United States," two countries with a military presence in the area. The government of Spain is also in contact with "Britain and other allied countries and friends with a military presence in the area."
Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega says a solution is at hand: "We're working on it. We're keeping tabs on the situation minute by minute and we hope there will soon be a happy ending to all this. We're working to bring this about."
The Spanish fishing boat Playa de Bakio was seized in the same area where the French yacht Le Ponant was attacked earlier this month. In fact, this pirate attack came just a few days after a Paris court charged six of the Somalis with taking the crew of Le Ponant hostage.
Last year dozens of ships were attacked by pirates in Somali coastal waters, now considered to be some of the world's most dangerous for pirate attacks. The International Maritime Bureau advises boats to stay at least 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast.
A gunman armed with a long-range machine gun guards a vessel carrying food aid to Somalia.
Submitted By YachtPals on 21 Apr
Piracy, piracy somalia, pirates, real pirates, Playa de Bakio, boats, boat, pirate attack, pirate attacks, pirate
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Playa de Bakio Pirate Attack Update
The pirates who seized the Spanish fishing boat Playa de Bakio off Somalia have reportedly taken the 26 crew members off the boat onto dry land, the wife of the captain told Spanish radio Tuesday.
The crew "are a little more calm," said the captain's wife. "I spoke to my husband and they are well, they are being well treated." She said the crew and pirates had "arrived on land," but did not indicate where.
Father of one of the hostages on the Playa de Bakio told Radio Euskadi that there were 10 pirates, instead of four as was initially reported, and they are "soldiers." "From what the kid told me they are soldiers, with military tactics and training," said the man.
Playa de Bakio Pirate Attack Update
Madrid, Spain — The Somali pirates who seized the Spanish fishing trawler Playa de Bakio and its 26 crew off the Somali coast have not yet made any formal demands for their release, said Spain's foreign minister on Wednesday.
"There has been no demand on the part of the kidnappers and we don't know what they want. We have to listen first to what they want, what are their demands, so we have to wait," said Miguel Angel Moratinos.
Moratinos refused to answer questions about the boat's location. The Spanish press has reported it had docked off the town of Obbia in northeastern Somalia.
Moratinos said Spain's ambassador to Kenya held talks today in Mogadishu with Nur Hassan Hussein, Somali Prime Minister, as well as the country's interior minister and police chiefs.
"He is having all types of contacts to see what is the best way to secure the liberation of our crew," he told the press.
Moratinos said he could not confirm the account of the wife of the ship's captain, that the pirates had ordered the crew off the boat.
"According to our information, they are all well. The situation is that within the difficulties and drama that is a hijacking, they are calm and well," Moratinos said.
As the diplomatic efforts intensified to solve this hostage crisis, the Mendez Nunez (a Spanish warship) headed for Somalia, and was due to arrive later today.
The defence ministry of Spain said it had also dispatched a reconnaissance plane from Madrid to Djibouti, which neighbours Somalia.
Moratinos urged patience and stressed the priority of the Spanish government was the safety of the crew. "Not putting the life and physical wellbeing of our citizens in danger... that is our maximum objective," he said.
Playa de Bakio Pirate Attack Update
MOGADISHU, Somalia — The pirates holding the crew of the Spanish fishing boat Playa de Bakio hostage off the coast of Somalia are sailing deeper into the Indian Ocean after local residents threatened them, local witnesses told the AFP Thursday.
The pirates are reported to have taken supplies from the port town of Haradere, and sailed off, heading out away from the coast. They were last seen about 100 miles from the coastal area of Gaan, said an elder who asked not to be named to AFP.
"Maybe they got rumors that Islamic fighters in the region were preparing to attack," the elder added.
"We did not see the boat when we went for fishing today, I think they [pirates] moved to another place after getting threats from locals," Abduqadir Ahmed, a local fisherman, told AFP by phone from Haradere.
Ahmed added that the pirates took supplies, food, and medicine, on Wednesday night. Adding that he took this as an indication that they were planning to move.
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