Athens, Greece, May 12, 2010. Our vessel was attacked by pirates while in passage from Lake Charles, LA (USA) to Fujairah, via the Cape, loaded with 31,500 MT of bagged rice. The attack commenced on 10.05.2010 at 05:03 UTC at 00 02 00 N – 65 00 E and lasted for over two hours. Shots were fired while there were multiple attempts to board the vessel.
Due to the heroic actions of the master and his crew, the vessel was able to take the appropriate evasive actions and prevent the pirates to board. After unsuccessfully trying to board for over two hours, the pirates abandoned the pursuit and the vessel resumed its passage to the destination port, notably on a different course to prevent additional attacks. There were no injuries and only minor damage to the vessel’s structure due to the bullets was reported.
Immediately after the attack the Navy Joint Force command in the area (UKMTO) commended the master and his crew and requested that upon arrival at Fujairah one of its senior officers present the master with a recognition award.
Apostolos II is a 34,676 DWT bulk carrier, built 2003 and is operated by Capital Ship Management Corp. The officers are Romanian and the ratings Filipinos. The Company has extensive security procedures and performs extensive training at its dedicated Manning Offices in Romania and the Philippines.