Alleged Tug Boat Hijacked within Persian Gulf

Pirates have hijacked an Iraqi ship that was stranded outside the country’s waters and took it to an unknown location, the MP for the Basra governorate said on Sunday.

Kadhim Finjan Al-Hammami said he received “authenticated pleas from the private owner of Iraqi tugboat T-4, to free his ship from pirates. The attackers had taken it to an unknown location, and demanded in an audio recording that he pay a ransom of $80,000.
“The owner of the hijacked ship explained that his ship ran aground at the Iranian coast, about seven miles north of Bushehr Port. The crew of a ship called Sohan stole its fuel and plundered its contents and equipment,” National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) quoted Al-Hammami as saying.

He said the Iraqi authorities have sent an urgent call for help to Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Center (MEMAC) in Bahrain.

Arab News 21 March 21