A ship was hijacked off the coast of Corfu – Les Echos

A ship was hijacked off the coast of Corfu – Les Echos

A ship flying the flag of Moldova Tuesday sent a distress signal off the Greek island of Corfu due to the possible presence of armed men on board, announced the Greek Ministry of Merchant Marine

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So far confined to areas at risk, such as the Horn of Africa, the Indian Ocean or the Red Sea (see here), is piracy winning the Mediterranean? A ship flying the flag of Moldova sent a distress signal off the Greek island of Corfu due to the possible presence of armed men on board, said Tuesday the Greek Ministry of Merchant Marine.

The ship “Blue Sky M” would carry between 400 and 600 illegal migrants, said a Ministry spokesman, confirming a report in the NERIT Greek state television that she evoked the presence of “hundreds” of illegal immigrants on board.

The incident took place not far from where the Italian ferry “Norman Atlantic” was a victim of a fire this weekend. A frigate and a Greek naval helicopter and two patrol the port police were dispatched to the area where winds blow measured at 49km / h.

According to the website Marine Traffic (see below), the ship was diverted to set sail for Italy (follow the live position).

In 2013, 264 pirate attacks recorded

So smugglers or pirates? Interviewed by Channel 4 News, Roy Paul, who heads the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Center, is cautious about the possibility of an act of piracy in the Mediterranean. ” Perhaps he was on board of illegal immigrants who tried to take control of the ship “; said he was emphasizing the abscence of a ransom.

According to some sources (see below), the Greek authorities were informed at the last position of the “Blue Sky M” that would carry Syrian migrants from a Turkish port.

Last year, piracy fell on the seas of the world according to the published report. by the International Maritime Bureau and the International Chamber of Commerce 264 incidents involving pirates were recorded in 2013, against 297 in 2012 (down 11%) and 445 in 2011 (-41%). This year, the assigned piracy to Somalis was at its height, with 237 incidents recorded off the coast of Somalia, but also in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf (see picture of the situation drawn up by the International Chamber of Commerce to 24 December 2014).