MOSCOW. May 11 (Interfax) - The pirates who hijacked the Moscow University Russian tanker have not been able to make it to shore, a source in the Defense Ministry told reporters on Tuesday.
The pirates are believed to be dead, the source told reporters.
According to earlier reports the Russian tanker Moscow University carrying 86,000 tonnes of crude oil and 1,200 tonnes of bunker from Sudan to China was hijacked by Somalian pirates on May 5. The next day, the vessel was freed by the crew of the anti-submarine ship Admiral Shaposhnikov, which stormed the tanker and disarmed the pirates.
The pirates were put in a boat and set adrift 300 miles off the closest shore. The Russian sailors took all boarding equipment, weapons, and navigation equipment from the boat.
About an hour later, the radio signal from the boat went dead.