# pirates steal ship



## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

- Machete-wielding pirates boarded a British cargo ship over the weekend, forced its crew to disembark and stole the ship, the vessel's captain said on Monday. 

A UN helicopter saw the 3 500-ton ship being towed away and one person was arrested in connection with the incident, UN spokesperson Ben Malor said. 

Two boats towed the vessel deep into neighbouring Ivory Coast's waters, Malor said. 

The ship, the MV Tahoma Reefer, ran into engine problems off Liberia's coast and docked in Monrovia, where the crew was awaiting mechanical help, said Volodymr Shteynberh, the ship's captain. 

Four days after it docked on Saturday, two fishing boats approached the cargo ship and around 25 pirates jumped aboard brandishing machetes, Shteynberh said. 

The captain said three crew members were injured before the ship was towed away in the direction of Ivory Coast. "Two received cuts on their heads," Shteynberh said. 

The ship was carrying several thousand tons of fuel used to power the vessel. 

Shteynberh said he was worried that if the fuel spills into the ocean, "it will cause serious ecological problems for the coast and for the region." 

The ship was sailing under the flag of the Caribbean nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

Dom
The engine problems were due to a fire they had onboard which gutted quite alot of the accomodation


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## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

The Captain of this 'British' ship has a good name......... wonder if he was from Holyhead ....... sounds very Welsh (==D)


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

Sounds like a Vodka Brand


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## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

Perhaps he'd been on the vodka...... lost his ship in a poker game to some friendly local fishermen?


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## exsailor (Dec 18, 2005)

Photo and details of 'Tahoma Reefer' at http://www.sa-transport.co.za/ships/reefers/tahoma_reefer.html

Dennis.


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

What a fantastic English name the Captain has. I have to say I am somewhat confused by this. Why were there crew aboard, as according to my info she was gutted by fire in Monrovia 10.8.06, a longtime back . Also it is given as broken up which obviously it has not been. Me thinks there is more to this than meets the eye!!.
Hawkey01


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## gdynia (Nov 3, 2005)

Neville

Apparently over the years she has had more than one fire


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## Keltic Star (Jan 21, 2006)

_The ship was carrying several thousand tons of fuel used to power the vessel. _
Any room left for cargo?


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## Tony Breach (Jun 15, 2005)

Exactly where do they put the "several thousand tons of fuel"?


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## Bearsie (Nov 11, 2006)

Tony Breach said:


> Exactly where do they put the "several thousand tons of fuel"?



In the holds? Then it cover with bags on top to prevent shifting?
Says her TDW is around 4600, that would be compatible with several thousand tons [=P]


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