Somali pirates took over a Panama-flagged ship with 15 Indian crew members on board in the territorial waters of Tanzania early Wednesday morning. According to the maritime official, what just happened was recorded to be the third incident in the Tanzanian coast in four days.

Andrew Mwangura, the chief person of the East African Seafarer’s Assistance Programme, mentioned that the ‘MT Asphalt Venture’ carrier was supposed to reach Durban in South Africa after they had unloaded their cargo in the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

The said ship is under the administration of Mumbai-based Omci Ship Management Pvt and it is owned by the Bitumen Invest AS based in the United Arab Emirates.

Now under the control of the Somalian pirates, the vessel with its 15 Indian crew members is sailing northward to Haradhere, which is one of the pirate bases in Somalian coast as confirmed by the Ecoterra International.

As a result, million-dollar ransoms have been released against the Somali pirates, shipping insurances are increasing, and ships are forced to sail longer through more expensive routes just to avoid these pirates.

According to Mwangura, because of calmer sea conditions, it had raised the sea high-jacking activities for the last few weeks. A Greek-owned chemical tanker was also hijacked earlier this month in a secluded corridor in the Gulf of Aden at Somalia.

Navy forces are now guarding the high seas, particularly in the Somalian coastal waters, in an attempt to stop piracy. Most experts believe that sea hijacking will continue to be a problem in Somalia not until they establish an effective government.