Singapore: Some 25 crew members of Singapore-registered palm oil tanker were hijacked on Saturday off Kenya coast, the ship management and authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The crew members on board the tanker GT Gemini include four South Koreans, 13 Indonesians, five Chinese and three Myanmar nationals, Singapore-based Glory Ship Management said in a statement, without disclosing their names.
The vessel is believed to have been hijacked on Saturday noon and were heading towards Somalia,” the statement said.
The Maritime and Port Authority first released a statement on Saturday on the suspected hijacking of the vessel.
Glory Ship Management said its Singapore office last made satellite phone contact with the captain of the ship early Saturday afternoon before the contact was cut off. The vessel was carrying 28,000 metric tons of crude palm oil from Indonesia to Kenya at the time of incident, it said.
The China Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Chinese Embassy in Singapore separately confirmed that they have received report on the incident. The crew members include five Chinese nationals, China Maritime Search and Rescue Center said.
The ship management said all efforts are being made to contact the family members of the crew in the respective countries.
“Our highest concerns are for the safety and well-being of the crew members. We will make every effort to secure their release,” the company said. “The company is keeping the appropriate Singapore and international authorities fully informed of the situation.”
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