Location unknown of Leopard crew

Yesterday the speculation was the crew of the Leopard was taken, as the vessel was found with (apparently) all cargo intact.

Today however, there has been speculation the crew was killed.

This is what the BBC is reporting.

The two Danes and four Filipinos are now thought to be held on a captured Taiwanese fishing boat, the Shiuh Fu No.1, an EU naval official said.

Pirates in two skiffs attacked the Danish-flagged M/V Leopard on Wednesday but later took the crew off the ship.

Nato sailors searched the abandoned vessel. Its cargo is said to be intact.

The Nato sailors from a Turkish warship, the Gaziantep, boarded the M/V Leopard on Thursday, when it was found to be drifting.

It is not clear why the ship was immobilised, said a spokesman for the EU's Navfor anti-piracy mission.

"We believe the ship was carrying arms, ammunition and explosives, and we believe the cargo is still intact," said the spokesman, Wing Commander Paddy O'Kennedy.

The international naval forces refrained from attempting a rescue as a radio message picked up while the pirates were on board warned them to stay away, he said.

The M/V Leopard is reported to be about 810km (500 miles) from Oman's port of Salalah.

The ship's owner, Shipcraft, says "our main focus is now on the safe return of our crew; however, at present we do not hold any reliable information as to their whereabouts".

Update-crew of Leopard taken by pirates

Apparently the pirates decided to hold the crew of the Leopard ( the Shipcraft vessel) instead of hijacking the ship.

Shipcraft transports arms and military equipment, and I guess the pirates realized taking such cargo would give them a lot of problems.

Best to just hold the crew for ransom (or so I presume).

This from AFP

Pirates kidnap Danish ship crew but leave vessel: report

(AFP) – 6 hours ago

COPENHAGEN — The crew of a Danish weapons ship have been kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off Oman, but in an unusual departure from normal practice, the vessel was not seized, a report said Thursday.

Sources told the TradeWinds shipping publication that the 2,000-tonne ship, The Leopard, was carrying "sensitive" cargo, believed to include weapons.

Vessels operated by the Leopard's Danish operator, Shipcraft, routinely carried nuclear items, although none were believed to have been on board this vessel, it said.

The six crew -- two Danes including the captain, and four Filipinos -- had been taken to a seized Taiwanese fishing vessel being operated as a mothership, the report added.

The ship had meanwhile been located and searched by the Turkish navy and no trace of any pirates or pirate skiffs had been found.

According to some "chatter" I read, it was thought the vessel had armed guards onboard the ship, which disembarked shortly before the encounter with the pirates. So, presumably this attack occurred outside of what would be considered the danger zone.

Guess the danger zone just got bigger.

Shipcraft Vessel Hi- Jacked

I haven't mentioned all the ships which continue to be hijacked. This one was hijacked off the coast of Oman, so I am not sure it's the Somali Pirates, but I suspect so.

From Shipgaz news

The fate of the Danish coaster Leopard is still uncertain after a pirate attack yesterday in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman. The crew of Leopard reported an attack from two pirate boats at 2 pm on Wednesday. The crew of six (two Danish and four Filipinos) closed down the engine and rushed to the ship’s safe room, and there has been no contact with Leopard since then. This morning there is still no report from the ship, which is drifting at sea. The pirates are unable to enter the vessel as Leopard is secured with barbed wires and steel doors.

click here for link

Ocean carrier Shipcraft A/S to arm ships in Gulf of Aden

Shipgaz news reports

The Danish coaster operator Shipcraft A/S has decided to hire armed guards for their ships sailing in the Gulf of Aden. The decision comes after an attack on the coaster Puma last week on a voyage in the area. The piracy attack failed as eight non-armed guards (British) on board the Puma managed to ward off the attack.
“We have taken the decision to hire armed guards for the safety of our crews”, says Per Nykjær Jensen, CEO of Shipcraft.
“I can not take the responsibility for not protect my crew in the best possible way. A squad of armed guards cost me an extra DKK 200,000, but still that is a cheap price for the safety of our crews and the ships”, says Per Nykjær Jensen.
“And if the guards kill one of the attackers I will cope much better with that then if I have to inform the relatives of a dead crew member”, says Per Nykjær Jensen.
Puma was on a voyage from Busan, South Korea to Emden (Germany) when the attack occurred.

I believe this is the first company to take this action.

They don't say who they will hire. Back in October 2008 Blackwater was offering their services.

I suspect Shipcraft will hire someone from Denmark. Maersk is also based in Denmark, so protecting vessels might be a good business to get into if one is Danish.