MV Hannibal II Pirated in Somali Basin
Early on the morning of Nov. 11, the MV Hannibal II, a Panamanian-flagged vessel, was pirated whilst on route from Malaysia to Suez. The 24,105 tonne chemical tanker was carrying vegetable oils from Pasir Gudang to Suez at the time. The master of the vessel reported that he had been attacked and boarded by pirates in an area some 860 nautical miles East of The Horn of Africa which is considerably closer to India than it is to Somalia. The MV Hannibal II has a total of 31 crew on board. This number consists of 23 Tunisians, 4 Filipinos, 1 Croatian, 1 Georgian, 1 Russian and 1 Moroccan.
Yayasan Sabah Plans Expansion
Yayasan Sabah Group is set to play an active role in the chemical marine transportation industry, planning to expand its involvement in this sector with the acquisition of more tankers, the Business Times reported. The group through its joint-venture company, GS Tankers Sdn Bhd, inked a shipbuilding contract for the construction and sale of a chemical tanker with Nok Bong Shipbuilding Co Ltd, a shipbuilder from Koje City, Kyungnam, South Korea. GS Tankers, a joint-venture company between Yayasan Sabah subsidiary Yayasan Sabah Shipping Sdn Bhd and Gagasan Carriers Sdn Bhd, was set up to own and operate the new 10,800-deadweight-tonne chemical tanker costing $19.5 million which is expected to be delivered by August next year.
