Location: NairobiWFP has announced that the MV Rozen, a WFP-contracted vessel, was hijacked off the coast of north-eastern Somalia, somewhere near Bargal, north of Hafun in the state of Puntland at around 0935 yesterday, Sunday, 25 February 2007.
On board the vessel are 12 crew members, six Sri Lankans, including the captain, and six Kenyans.
The ship had just delivered 1,800 metric tonnes of WFP food aid and FAO equipment in Berbera and in Bossaso and was sailing empty back to Mombasa. The ship is now reported to be anchored off Bargal, in Somali waters.
Previous hijacks
Early last year, MV Rozen escaped an attempted hijack in southern Somali waters. Her sister vessel, the MV Semlow, was hijacked with WFP relief food on board for more than 100 days in Somali waters in June 2005.
The crew was released unharmed. Another vessel with WFP food aid, the MV Miltzow, was also hijacked for 33 hours in October 2005 while it was in the process of unloading food in the port of Merka.
Safetyu concerns
“WFP is highly concerned about the safety of crew members and the vessel. Such acts of piracy might undermine the delivery of relief food to vulnerable people in Somalia and could further worsen the prevailing precarious humanitarian situation”, said Peter Goossens, WFP Country Director for Somalia.
WFP is currently in close contact with Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the Puntland authorities, and with the vessel’s agents, to obtain the most accurate information and to ensure the earliest release of the vessel and crew.
In 2005, after the hijacks, WFP temporarily had to suspend deliveries of food aid by sea for some weeks, but since then sea deliveries have been uninterrupted, even during the worst days of the conflict between the TFG and the Union of Islamic Courts (ICU) at the end of last year.
In 2006, WFP delivered some 78,000 metric tonnes of relief food to 1.4 million people affected by drought and floods in southern Somalia.
Contact us
Stephanie Savariaud
WFP/Nairobi
Tel. +254 20 7622 336
Cell. +254 733 528 912
stephanie.savariaud
@wfp.org
Penny Ferguson
WFP/Nairobi
Tel. +254 20 7622 594
Cell. +254 735 700 041
penny.ferguson@wfp.orgSaid Warsame
WFP/Somalia
Tel. +254 207 202114
Cell. +254 735 337 723
said.warsame@wfp.org
Robin Lodge
WFP/Rome
Tel. +39 06 65133201
Cell. +39-3408662992
robin.lodge@wfp.org
Gregory Barrow
WFP/London
Tel. +44-20-72409001
Cell. +44-7968-008474
gregory.barrow@wfp.org
Christiane Berthiaume
WFP/Geneva
Tel.
+41-22-9178564
Cell. +41-792857304
christiane.berthiaume
@wfp.org
Cécile Sportis
WFP/Paris
Tel. +33-1-70385330
Cell. +33-6161-68266
cecile.sportis@wfp.org
Jennifer Parmelee
WFP/Washington
Tel.
+1-202-6530010
Ext. 1149
Cell. +1-202-4223383
jennifer.parmelee
@wfp.org
Bettina Luescher
WFP/New York
Tel. +1-212-9635196
Cell. +1-646-8241112
luescher@un.org
