http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4205
By Fiona Govan in Madrid and Mike Pflanz in Nairobi
Spain dispatched a warship and called for Nato help yesterday after Somali http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4143 and seized the crew.
The Playa de Bakio was http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3746 for tuna about 250 miles off Somalia when it was attacked with grenade launchers at around 1pm on Sunday and boarded by four men.
It is thought that the vessel was damaged, but yesterday afternoon it appeared to be heading for land.
Spanish media reported that the boat was bound for the Somali town of Gaan.
Its 26 crew members, among them 13 Spaniards and 13 African nationals, were believed to be unharmed. “I am the captain of the boat… we are all well and there is no problem, for the moment there is no problem,” said Amadeo Alvarez, 55, the Galician skipper, speaking to Spanish national radio.He was interrupted by a man who identified himself as a member of a “Somalia militia” and said in broken English that there would be no problems if their demands were met. Details of the pirates’ demands have not been made public but the Somali was heard to say: “It’s a question of money.”
Spain responded by dispatching a frigate, on exercise in the Red Sea, to find the vessel and called for international help in the search.
“The ministry of defence has alerted Nato and contacted France, Britain, and other allied countries with a military presence in the area,” said Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the prime minister. The government said it was working with the African Union and Somali authorities to resolve the situation.
It is understood that the fishing boat was seized in the same area where, on April 4, pirates captured the 30-strong crew of a French luxury yacht and held them hostage for a week. They were released after the yacht’s owners reportedly paid a ransom of around £1 million.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/22/wpirates122.xml