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Somalia

Puntland authorities accuse three ships of illegal activities

Article published on the 2009-04-19 Latest update 2009-04-19 16:45 TU

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Hostages and pirates stand with their hands up before the intervention of Nato soldiers off Somalia's coast(Photo: Reuters)

Hostages and pirates stand with their hands up before the intervention of Nato soldiers off Somalia's coast
(Photo: Reuters)

The accusations are aimed at an Italian tugboat and two Egyptian fishing vessels that were captured in the Gulf of Aden and now anchored in the Puntland port of Lasqorey.

Each boat had between 16 and 24 crew members on board.

The regional governer Mohamoud Said Nur said the Italian tugboat was suspected of carrying toxic waste which it intended to dump in Somali waters while the Egyptian ships are accused of illegal fishing.

On Saturday Dutch marines freed 16 fishermen that were being held captive by Somali pirates who launched a failed attack on a tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

Nato and Dutch officials said an attack on a Greek-owned ship from the Marshall Islands had failed but the nine suspected pirates had to be freed after being briefly detained.

The President of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, has issued directives for Filipino sailors to avoid working on ships that sail through Somali waters. About 100 Filipino sailors are currently held by pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden.