Hijacked Bulgarian Ship Spotted in Somalian City Port

Somali pirates have still not made contact with Navigation Maritime Bulgare, the official operator of the Bulgarian-flagged ship hijacked on May 11, 2010. Photo by BGNES

MV Panega, the Bulgarian-flagged tanker ship hijacked last week by Somali pirates, is reported to have been spotted nearby the Somalian city of Garacad.

Elena P, the Greek cargo ship, flying the Liberian flag, which was also captured by the pirates on May 12, 2010, a day after the attack on the Bulgarian tanker, is also said to have been anchored in the vicinity of Garacad according to information by the EU Naval Force.

It has also become clear that the captain of MV Panega, had attempted to SOS the American naval ship, yet was forced by the Somali pirates to warn the navy forces to not approach the Bulgarian-flagged tanker.

The MV Panega (built 1986, 5,848 dwt) is a single-skin hulled product tanker operated by Navigation Maritime Bulgare Ltd (NAVIBULGAR), Bulgaria, which was privatized in 2008. It was traveling empty to bring scrap from India as part of a EU Navfor-guarded convoy when it was hijacked on May 11.

MV Panega is the first ship sailing under Bulgarian flag to be hijacked by Somali pirates.

On May 18, the St James Park tanker, carrying five Bulgarians on board and released by the Somali pirates after almost 5 months in captivity arrived in a port in Oman.

The Bulgarian sailors are reported to be in good health and are expected to leave for Bulgaria on Thursday.

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