Pirates hijacked Singapore-registered vessel MT Gemini

The chemical tanker with 25 personnel on board is believed to have been hijacked off Kenyan waters and heading towards Somalia.

In a statement, Glory Ship Management said the Singapore-registered MT Gemini was carrying over 28,000 metric tonned of crude palm oil from Indonesia for discharge at Mombasa, Kenya, when the incident took place. The vessel was on spat charter for a Singapore charterer.

Glory confirmed that the personnel comprised male nationals from the following countries:

South Korea – 4 crew including the captain
Indonesia – 13 crew
Myanmar – 3 crew
PRC – 5 crew

Glory’s Singapore office last made satellite phone contact with the ship captain in the early afternoon (Singapore time) of 30 April before contact was cut off.

“Our highest concerns are for the safety and well-being of the crew members. Since learning of the incident, Glory’s management and its manning agents are exhausting all efforts to contact the family members of the crew in the respective countries,” Glory said.

“We will make every effort to secure their release. The company is keeping the appropriate Singapore and international authorities fully informed of the situation. As our absolute priority is the safety and well-being of the crew, we are not at liberty to release any further details of the situation. We seek the media’s cooperation to respect both the sensitive nature of the situation and the privacy of the crew members’ families during this time."