The Ruen which managed by the Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar remains under the control of the pirates, whose identity and demands are unknown, the EU Naval Force said in a statement. It did not give details on the condition of the crew member who was taken off the vessel on Monday and moved to an Indian navy ship that has been shadowing the Ruen.
The Ruen, which is managed by Bulgarian shipping company Navibulgar, was off the Yemeni island of Socotra near the Horn of Africa when it was boarded, the private intelligence firm Ambrey and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. Bulgarian authorities said the ship’s crew were Angolan, Bulgarian and Myanmar nationals. Bulgarian authorities confirmed that the ship’s crew consists of members from Angola, Bulgaria, and Myanmar.
The Ruen was spotted by an Indian maritime patrol plane one day after its seizing last Thursday and had a radio contact with the crews, was said that the crew locked themselves in a safe room.
The 185-meter (606-foot) Ruen, loaded with metals from South Korea's Gwangyang Port, was en route to the Port of Gemlik in Turkey, according to the EU Naval Force. The captain officially confirmed the hijacking by issuing a mayday alert to the EU Naval Force’s command center.
The vessel has now moved southwest toward the coast of Somalia, according to the EU force.
Suspicion surrounds Somali pirates, whose attacks have seen a notable decrease in recent years but may be experiencing a resurgence. The Pentagon stated that five armed assailants who seized a commercial ship near Yemen late last month were likely Somali nationals, refuting initial suspicions of Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
