MV ''Farah III'' was a general cargo ship built in 1981. She was registered in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and owned by Salam International Transport & Trading Co.

Fate

In December 2006, ''Farah III'' was en route from India to South Africa with a cargo of rice when she suffered engine trouble off the east coast of Sri Lanka. The crew sent out a distress signal and dropped anchor near the town of

Mullaitivu Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, translit=Mullaittīvu; si, මූලදූව, translit=Mūladūva) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely ...

, an area held by the militant rebel faction

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

(LTTE). On December 23, the ship was boarded by members of LTTE's naval wing, the

Sea Tigers The Sea Tigers (Tamil: கடற்புலிகள் ''Kaţaṛpulikaḷ'') was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effectiv ...

. According to the crew, the rebels ordered them to raise the anchor, after trying and failing to blow up the anchor cable, then forced them into smaller boats. The Tigers later denied this account, insisting that were only helping the crew, who were delivered safely to the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

. However, the drifting ship subsequently ran aground, and its owner, Salam International, reported some months later that the ''Farah III'' had been stripped bare by the LTTE; not only had 14,000 metric tons of rice been taken, but also equipment such as lights and generators. Salam International also reported that they had been unable to secure safe passage for the insurance company and surveyors to visit the ship.

Capture by LTTE and rescue by the Sri Lanka Army

On May 14, 2009, just days before government forces declared victory over the rebels and an end to the Sri Lankan Civil War, troops of the 58 Division captured the grounded ship, which was being used by the Sea Tigers as their operational centre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farah III Maritime incidents in 2006 Bulk carriers 1981 ships Ships attacked and captured by pirates Hijackings in the 2000s