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Absent-Minded Sailors?

EU Mission Blames German Tanker after Pirate Raid

European Union warships may be circling off the coast of Somalia, but pirates continue to plunder. A day after the German tanker Longchamp was seized by bandits, the EU mission controlling the area's waters complained that the German vessel had ventured into the perilous zone without traveling in a convoy.

There has been a notable lull in the number of ships captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden thus far this year. But the European Union's anti-piracy mission came under the spotlight once again on Thursday when Somali pirates boarded a German gas tanker, ending an ususual two-week-long stretch with no attacks reported in the risky waters.

The German vessel, laden with liquefied petroleum gas, was the third seizure this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors piracy.

Hamburg-based Bernard Schulte Ship Management, responsible for the Longchamp, said the tanker was captured while traveling with a larger convoy -- but that statement has been challenged by a spokesman for the EU's Atalanta mission, the EU's first combat force against pirates. He argued that the German vessel, with its 13-strong crew, was traveling alone after failing to wait for the convoy.

Officials also berated the crew of the Longchamp for not registering with the EU mission in the Gulf of Aden, a stretch between Somalia and Yemen where boats are at greatest risk of attack. "The master and ship manager falsely assumed that e-mails with their location were sufficient to register themselves," said the spokesman at the operation's base in Northwood, Britain.

Doubts were also voiced about the alertness of the Longchamp crew, a team of 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian. The fact that the emergency call was made when the pirates were already aboard "created the impression that they were not noticed," he said.

The Longchamp's shipping company declined to comment on the issue.

The latest capture brings the number of ships held by the pirates up to 10 and the number of crew held hostage up to 193. But, speaking to German television channel ZDF, the German navy underlined the importance of the EU operation. "It is without doubt a success, even if the Longchamp creates a different impression," said Kay-Achim Schönbach, commander of a German frigate operating in the region. "There will never be 100 percent protection."

Last year piracy in the region soared with a total of 43 vessels hijacked, with 10 captured in November alone. The spate of attacks prompted the EU, as well as the US, Russia and China, to bolster their naval presence in the region to help safeguard the passage of tankers and containerships.

jas -- with news reports