Wilhelmsen ship escapes

Pirates opened fire on a Wilh Wilhelmsen car carrier which managed to avoid hijacking off the east coast of Africa on Monday.

Some damage has been caused to the 6,400-unit Tortugas (built 2006) after it was chased by pirates in two skiffs about 140 miles north of Madagascar.

There are no casualties to the UK-flagged ship’s crew of 24 comprising British, Norwegian, Swedish and Filipino seamen a spokesperson for the company told TradeWinds.

The 6,400-unit Tortugas (built 2006).

The attempted hijacking took place at around 14:00 UTC while the vessel was en route from Mombasa, Kenya to Singapore in ballast.

While confirming that the ship, which has P&I cover with Gard, had sustained some damage in the assault, the spokesperson was unable to confirm the extent of the damage. The ship has continued its voyage, however, and is not expected to divert to any port for repairs.

No naval forces are said to have come to the aid of the ship as there were none in the area at the time.

When asked how the vessel managed to avoid being hijacked the spokesperson said the master and crew followed the company’s security plan but would not elaborate.

TradeWinds has been told that the crew mustered in a safe room while the master remained on the deck, increasing speed and taking evasive manoeuvres.

The Lloyd's Register-Fairplay database lists the Tortugas as beneficially owned by Wilship and operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, both of Norway, with management from Wilhelmsen Lines Car Carriers of the UK

The high freeboard and relative speed of a car carrier such as the Tortugas would appear to make it an unlikely candidate for hijacking. However, a Zodiac Maritime Agencies-owned vehicles carrier has already fallen to pirates this year.

The 4,363-unit Asian Glory (built 1994) was seized in the Arabian Sea on 2 January while en route from Singapore to Saudi Arabia with cars and 25 crew. It remains in captivity and has been used on several occasions by its hijackers to rendezvous with other pirate groups along Somalia’s east coast.

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