By Somalilandtimes network

Seychelles Island, February 14, 2006 – The owner of a Dominican Republic registered cargo vessel claims that his ship was attacked by gunmen off the coast of Somalia on December 21 but was rescued by U.S. Navy personnel who arrested two formerly armed men who allegedly invaded the ship.

Speaking to Seychelles Nation from Dubai on telephone last night, a man who identified himself as Saad Bahar saying he is the owner, said the seven attackers boarded the vessel but when a U.S. Navy ship approached the 3,000 tone Al Manara only two Somali-speaking gunmen were on board, together with the ship’s crew of 18.

He declined to give the name of the U.S. warship, saying he could only identify it by number 79.

Contacted on telephone, the ship’s captain, Deaa Naseh, said that the attackers kept boarding and leaving the vessel at will going and coming back by smaller boats, but when the U.S. Navy personnel were about to board, the gunmen threw away their weapons into the sea.

“The Americans locked up the two criminals but as I tried to sail to Dubai, my main engines failed. I was left with only the generators, which run the cranes on board,” Naseh said last night.

He said that his vessel, which was loaded with charcoal started to drift, but fearing it could go back towards Somalia, he tied some cloth material on the cranes and using the jibes of the machines, he turned them into sails, until he reached Seychelles waters, from where the vessel was towed into Port Victoria at his request.

As he spoke, however, there was loud quarrelling and there appeared to be commotion on board but the phone did not disconnect.

At that stage the Nation journalist contacted the chief executive officer of the Seychelles Ports Authority, Lt Col Andre Ciseau who confirmed that Seychelles tug boats towed in the Al Manara into port on Saturday and that its engines were not functioning.

He said hat the commotion heard was probably infighting among the crew, and that he would send patrol guards to investigate what was happening.

The captain came of the phone again and said that some of his crew members were trying to leave but that he had got assistance from Seychelles authorities to keep them on board.

He said that he had obtained supplies from the U.S. vessel crew who came to their rescue, and also from Seychelles Port Authority.

Source: Seychelles Nation