In close co-operation with Iranian fishermen and authorities, we could establish that in addition to our last listing at least 11 more Iranian fishing vessels with in minimum a further 182 seamen are missing in connection with Somali piracy. Our sources from Somalia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, East Africa, the Maldives and other locations combined paint a grim picture in connection with the fate of these seafarers.
Two further dhows are said to have reached their home port in Iran in the meantime and at least one dhow was over the last weekend shot up and set free by a Dutch warship. We try in the moment to establish the full identity also of those vessels, which we could not yet include in the status report below with date of the incident and exact crew numbers.
It, however, it remains clear that the still persistent neglect of pirated vessels from countries like Yemen, Pakistan, India and Iran paints a much more serious picture than what the navies present to the mainstream media on their public lists. Please send any report concerning these under-reported vessels to office[at]ecoterra-international.org
Press Release: ECOTERRA Intl
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1104/S00112/iranian-fishing-vessels-and-crew-missing-in-piracy-circus.htm
