KERALA

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Inquiry in Kerala hijacking concluded, report to be published shortly

The investigation into the hijacking by pirates of the 75,000-dwt tanker Kerala off Luanda on January 18 has been concluded and the findings will be published shortly. The investigation is based on evidence gathered by an INTERPOL-led multinational incident response team. Liberia said it had requested the attendance of the incident response team in Tema, the port of refuge for Dynacom-owned Kerala after the pirates left. The Ghanaian authorities then launched a crime scene investigation. Authorities so far know that after the hijacking, the ship went to Nigeria where the pirates - believed to be Nigerians - unloaded the cargo. During the hijacking, the fourth engineer was stabbed and other crewmen were beaten, reported London's Tanker Operator. The pirates also disabled the tanker's AIS and other communication equipment to prevent the ship being tracked. The owner/operator of the captive vessel re-established contact with the ship on January 26 and soon after the pirates had left. The vessel then left for Tema, where Angolan navy personnel directed her back to Angola. The vessel was cleared for discharge at Luanda on February 19. The Kerala is not allowed to depart from Angola until further notice. Dynacom is no stranger to piracy. Its 157,000-dwt suezmax Smyrni remains the last ship hijacked by Somali pirates. It was released after a ransom payment.

12000 tons diesel lost

The "Kerala" has been returned to Angolan authorities after disappearing from off the Luanda coast in January and then being intercepted by the Nigerian Navy. The state oil firm Sonangol said hijackers stole $8 million in diesel from the ship which was was under a time charter for Sonangol when it vanished. The "Kerala"'s owner, Dynacom Tankers Management of Greece, said pirates hijacked the ship and stole the cargo, while the Angolan government maintained the crew had faked the attack. Sonangol stated, the "Kerala" was found in Nigerian waters, but as the coast there did not offer security it was taken to Ghanaian waters and then recovered with help from both countries' authorities and brought to Luanda. Sonangol managed to recover around 78 percent of the cargo, but about 12,000 tonnes of diesel were lost. There was no comment on who stole the diesel.

Tanker taken in custody after fuel theft

The Nigerian Navy has intercepted the "Kerala" believed to have been hijacked off the coast of Luanda after a four-days search in the Gulf of Guinea using the Nigerian Navy remote surveillance system, and search patrols. The vessel was currently under Ghanaian custody in the Port of Tema and Interpol operatives were investigating the circumstances of the hijack of the ship. On Jan 23, the Navy had received a report from the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, that tanker had been hijacked off Luanda in Angola. A subsequent report from IMB on Jan 25 located her about 50 NM South West of tthe Pennington Oil Terminal in Nigeria. In a swift response, three patrol vessels were deployed to search for the ship. Two other vessels, the tanker "Itri" and the tug "Gare" were reportedly in the vicinity of the "Kerala" conducting ship-to-ship transfer of products with the latter being in gross violation of existing regulations in Nigeria. The "Itri" was tracked to the Lagos area and arrested by a Nigerian Naval team and NIMASA personnel. The conduct of illegal ship-to ship transfer, if proven, constituted a violation of existing regulations in Nigeria. The uncooperative attitude of the ship’s crew and owners after the pirates released the ship as claimed, left much to be desired. The navy was awaiting the outcome of the investigation by Interpol, Nigeria’s High Commission in Ghana, Angola and Ghana Navies. It was believed that the ship’s crew would be in a better position to provide useful information on possible collaborators in the purported hijack.