The Basque tuna purse seiner, the Erroxape. (Photo: Tuna Seiners)
Basque tuna vessel repels pirate attack in the Indian Ocean
(SPAIN, 11/11/2010)
After being pursued by a boat full of pirates, the Erroxape tuna vessel, based in Bermeo, Vizcaya, managed to escape and not be hijacked whilst sailing in the Indian Ocean.
The attack was repelled by security agents on board the Basque tuna vessel, belonging to the company Echebastar Fleet SLU, who fired a number of warning shots, reports the EFE news agency.
The ship was carrying a crew of 31 and had a Seychelles flag. It had not yet begun its fishing tasks around 435 miles from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
According to his captain, José Entenza, the pirates also responded to shots and so the guards returned fire, but they then saw that they had left.
Sailors stressed that good weather conditions led to the attack as "the sea was dead calm."
"During monsoon season there are not many [pirates]," he added.
Another ship of this company also recently managed to avoid being attacked by pirates: the Elai Alai. The incident occurred about 200 miles west of the island of Mahé in the Seychelles archipelago.
Moreover, in mid-October the Ortube Berria - auxiliary support to the Intertuna III Spanish tuna vessel - repelled an attempted pirate attack in the Indian Ocean, about 700 miles off the coast of Somalia, and in May the Basque tuna vessel the Campolibre Alai, owned by the same company, managed to avoid an assault on the coast of Madagascar and in the vicinity of French waters near the islands Mayyotte.
In 2009, the Alakrana suffered a 47-day kidnapping at the hands of Somali criminals.
Related articles:
- Spanish tuna vessel repels pirate attack in Indian Ocean
- Basque boat repels pirates in Madagascar
Information of the company:
Address:
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Calle de Kai Bidea, s/n - Muelle Erroxape
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City:
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Bermeo
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State/ZIP:
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Vizcaya (48370)
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Country:
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Spain
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Phone:
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+34 94 618 65 00
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Fax:
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+34 94 618 60 40
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E-Mail:
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[email protected]
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More about:
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