IMO says pirates hold six vessels and 90-plus seafarers as carriers edge back into Suez

Summary

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez says six merchant ships and more than 90 seafarers are now held off Somalia after the 20 August seizure of the tanker Seamull, also named Sibu 1, 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla. The Joint Maritime Information Center also lists Honour 25, Sward, Eureka, Asana and Lutuf as captive and rates the Gulf of Aden threat as substantial. The timing is awkward: CMA CGM, MSC and the Gemini cooperation have only just begun restoring Suez transits.