NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates seized control of a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, and a NATO helicopter gunship, too late to prevent the hijacking, picked up three security guards who jumped into the sea.
Both France and Germany, which have ships in the area as part of an international anti-piracy coalition, sent the aircraft after receiving a distress call just after dawn, said French military spokesman Cmdr. Christophe Prazuck. But in the 15 minutes it took to get to the site, the pirates had boarded and had taken the crew of 25 Indians and two Bangladeshis hostage.
The two British guards who leapt overboard with their Irish colleague were safe onboard a French warship, Prazuck said.
Germany and France have ships in the area as part of a NATO fleet which, along with warships from Denmark, India, Malaysia, Russia and the United States, have started patrolling the vast maritime corridor.
The ship hijacked Friday, the Liberian-flagged MV Biscaglia, is operated out of Singapore, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center in Malaysia. It was the 97th ship hijacking this year.
On Friday, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said it was possible the U.N. might pass a resolution with more aggressive rules of engagement.
