Danube shipping company reports pirate attacks on its ships in Romania

Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (Izmail, Odesa region) has reported a pirate attack on its UDP-1724 barge, which was in a convoy headed by the Perm motor vessel, on the 20-25 kilometer of the Borcea-Bala stretch of the Danube River on Romania on Jan. 4, 2012. According to the press release of the company, first the motor vessel steered the barge and two sections with ore. After leaving them at a distance of 25 kilometers from Borcea, the vessel returned for the remaining sections, and at that time about fifteen people attacked the barge.

They demanded alcohol, cigarettes, money, fuel, and searched the barge. They threatened the skipper with a knife and threatened to throw him overboard. The attackers took from the barge two rope coils each 100 meters long and old maneuvering ropes about 150 meters long. The crewmembers were not injured by the pirates.

The police of the Harsova and Fete sti ports have been informed about the incident.

According to the press service, this was not the first attack on the company's vessels. In 2010 the Zoriany steamboat was attacked on the Romanian sector of the river, and an attempt to rob the Captain Antypov steamboat, which was moored near Galati port, was also made.

In addition, on Jan. 5, 2011 on the 240th kilometer of the voyage the crew of the UDP-1615 barge noticed damage to seals on the vessel, which was being towed by the Captain Zhydkov steamboat. Signs of unloading by hand were noticed. The crew estimated that from one to three tonnes of maize was missing.

On Dec. 22, 2011, in the same sector, a convoy towed by the Chelyabinsk steamboat was attacked.

Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company carries out over 30% of the shipments on Danube River. The company owns about 400 self-propelled and non-self-propelled river vessels and 30 sea vessels.