MV IRENE SL (FILEPHOTO)

At approximately 1000Z on 9 February, the Very Large Crude Carrier MV IRENE SL was pirated approximately 350 nautical miles South East of Muscat in the North Arabian Sea.

The MV IRENE SL has a dead weight of 319,247 tonnes and is Greek flagged and owned. The vessel was on its way to Suez from Fujairah when it was attacked. At present there is no further information on the attack. She has a crew of 25 (7 Greek, 1 Georgian and 17 Filipinos). There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew.

The MV IRENE SL was not registered with MSC(HOA), but was reporting to UKMTO.  EUNAVFOR are continuing to monitor the situation.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EUNAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.