(Editor's Update 21 Feb 2011: The remains of the late chief engineer of the Korean fishing vessel GOLDEN WAVE 305 are set to be cremated tomorrow at a Mombasa crematorium. Relatives and family members of the late Kim Young Hun are expected to fly in tonight from South Korea to give their last respect to their fallen hero and bread winner, according to crew members of the fishing vessel, who spoke on condition of anonymity.)

The chief engineer of the Korean fishing vessel GOLDEN WAVE 305, Kim Yong-Hyun, died early Thursday in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa shortly after his release by Somali pirates.

Multiple sources told Somalia Report that the 68 year old Kim fell off the 4th floor balcony of his hotel and was found by a security guard at approximately 02:25am after an alleged argument with a Kenyan woman.

The 26 year old woman, Beatrice Auma Oguta, was arraigned at a Mombasa Magistrate's court on Feb 18th and sent to prison until further investigations are concluded. Sources say Kim’s death might involve foul play, and other sources say his girlfriend threw Kim off the balcony of his hotel.

The operation manger of Mombasa Shipping Agent, Isaac Masinde, said there weren't any unusual signs from Kim, but that he had been considering whether to return to Korea or remain in Kenya.

Masinde said that Kim's family has been informed of the news and is on the way to Kenya. His body has now been transferred to a local Mombasa hospital.

The Korean owned fishing vessel GOLDEN WAVE 305 docked in Mombasa, Kenya, on Tuesday (February 15), after being held for four months by Somalia pirates.

Diplomatic officials, officials from Kenya Maritime Authority, relatives, friends and family members of the crew of the Kenyan-flagged vessel rallied at the port's quay side in celebration of the arrival of the fishing vessel and her 43 crew.

Upon arrival the master of the vessel Capt. Kim Dae Gun told the press that while in captivity he suffered due to his diabetic conditions, while the late Kim and four other crew members contracted malaria. They also developed skin diseases but are now recovering after receiving medication from EUNAVFOR warship FNS POHJANMAA, he said. FV GOLDEN WAVE 305 was hijacked by pirates along with her 43 multinational crew in October last year in Kenyan territorial waters according to a vessel monitoring system, but the crew members of the vessel told Somalia Report that they were hijacked by a local vigilante group in Southern Somalia near Ras Kambon.

Crew members of the vessel are composed of 2 South Korean, 2 Chinese and 39 Kenyan nationals. Pirates are currently holding captive 100 fishermen aboard 4 fishing vessels. The fishing vessels in captivity include FV JIH CHUN TSAI 68, PRANTALAY 14, SHIUH FU No.1 and VEGA 5. The gunmen are also holding captive 800 seafarers aboard 33 ocean-going merchant ships.

The Chief Engineer of the the Panama flagged MV ICEBERG 1 has been missing under mysterious circumstance since yesterday, Somalia Report was told.

The chief engineer of the ill-fated Ro-Ro ship was abducted on 9th February by his captors and taken to an unknown destination.

The Second Engineer of the vessel, Francis Koosom, told Somalia Report that the chief engineer was taken by heavily armed men to an unknown destination ashore.

“We are very worried because early this week our captors gave us 48 hours saying that they will execute us if the ship owner isn’t going to pay them ransom money to secure for our freedom by yesterday evening,” Koomsom said.

Crew members of the hijacked vessel currently under captive in Somalia told Somalia Report last week that they are running out of ship stores, fuel and fresh water supply.

They said that ship owner has abandoned them and their deceased Yemeni crew mate and that no negotiations are ongoing to secure the release of the vessel and her 23 multi-national crew.

The Panama flagged Ro-Ro ship MV ICE BERG I was attacked and hijacked by armed pirates on 29th March last year while underway in position latitude 13:15 north and longitude 046:40 east in the Gulf of Aden at approximately 0930hrs.

Pirates armed with automatic weapons attacked and successfully boarded the ship.

They took hostage 24 crew members and sailed the ship to Somalia.

Earlier reports indicated that the negotiations were in progress, but the crew members said nothing good is going on except hunger and starvation.

On 27th October last year a Yemeni 3rd Officer of the vessel died of malnutrition seven months after being taken hostage by Somali pirates.

Crew members told Somalia Report that the deceased crew man had begun to suffer psychological problems and died on the 5,400-dwt Iceberg I on 27 October last year.

Three of the remaining 23 crew members on the vessel, owned by Dubai-based Azal Shipping, are also suffering similar conditions, the crew members said.

One of the crew members told Somalia Report that the deceased jumped overboard due to psychological problems, he also said that other three crew members of the ill-fated vessel are also suffering from psychological problems.

Remains of the deceased Yemeni 3rd Officer are being kept in freezers on the vessel. The crew reported the matter to the ship owner, but it is said that the owner just gave instructions to take the body off the vessel, but has made no arrangements to fly it back to Yemen.

The multinational crew of the vessel is comprised of multinational crew 8 Yemenis, 6 Indians, 4 Ghanaians, 2 Sudanese, 2 Pakistani and 1 Filipino.

MV ICEBERG 1 was sailing from the United Arab Emirates heading to the United Kingdom when she was attacked.

She is laden with generators, transformers and empty fuel tanks for British power rental company Aggreko International Power Projects, according to the crew members.

Meanwhile the gallant 43 crew members of the Kenyan flagged South Korean owned fishing vessel GOLDEN WAVE 305 have received medical supplies and ship stores from a Finnish warship at high-seas.

The fishing vessel currently under escort of 2 EU warships is expected to dock Mombasa port this Monday at day-break.

Diplomatic officials from the Chinese and South Korean Embassy as well as family members and relatives of the crew members of the vessel comprised of 2 Koreans, 2 Chinese and 39 Kenyans will be at the quay side to welcome the gallant seafarers.

An overjoyed Mrs. Elizabeth Molly, wife of former hostage James Molly, the second engineer of the vessel, told Somalia Report that God has answered her prayers. Apart from her husband, Elizabeth has a brother Christopher Mwamburi and brother in-law Mark Ingosi aboard the vessel.

FV GOLDEN WAVE 305 was hijacked by pirates a long with her 43 multinational crew in October last year in Kenyan territorial waters.

Elsewhere, diplomatic sources told Somalia Report that Islamic council of elders in Mogadishu has ordered the captors of the South African hostages to release the hostages unconditionally.

The 2 hostages Deborah Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari were abducted by pirates from the Yacht CHOIZIL in November last year while under way from Tanzania to South Africa.

Their captors are demanding US $10 million ransom money to secure the release of the South African couples, but their relatives said that the ridiculous ransom demand made by the alleged pirates bear no logic and the pirates will get no money as they have no money.

Dale van der Merwe, a brother to one of the South African hostages, Deborah Calitz, said that no amount of money can be placed on any of their family members’ heads even if they were able to afford to pay it.

NATO says a Danish warship has rescued two men who escaped from pirates off the coast of East Africa.

The western military alliance says the men were among several crew members who attempted to shake their captors two days after their ship, the MV BELUGA NOMINATION, was hijacked.

The attempt to overwhelm the pirates failed, but the two seamen, a Ukrainian and a Filipino, managed to escape in one of the ship's lifeboats.

NATO said in a statement that the pair spent two days at sea before being picked up by the HDMS ESBERN SNARE on Friday.

The rest of the crew remains aboard their ship now anchored off the Somali coast where they await rescue or ransom.

MV BELUGA NOMINATION with multinational crew on board was hijacked by pirates on Saturday some 800 nautical miles north of Seychelles, according to Beluga Fleet Management.

Despite the fact that the Polish master of the vessel sent out distress call at 13:38hrs on 22nd January no action was available from the forces.

The ill-fated vessel was heading to South Korea from Malta via Seychelles. The Antigua and Barbuda flagged general cargo ship was carrying 12 sailors, including 2 Ukrainians, 7 Filipinos, 1 Polish and 2 Russians, when it was captured.

This brings to a number of two Beluga ships being hijacked by Somali pirates in a span of three years. Beluga’s BBC TRINIDAD was hijacked in August 2008, BBC ORINOCO was boarded last November but pirates left it while BELUGA FORTUNE was boarded last October but pirates left it.

Beluga has a good recent record of avoiding hijackings after crew hide in citadels.

The ill-fated vessel is owned by Dutch Neele Shipping GMBH and she is managed by Beluga Fleet Management and GMBH.

The owners of a seized Vietnamese cargo vessel HONG SON SUN estimated that pirates will demand US$5 million for the release of the ship and its 24 crew hijacked by Somali pirates last week, says Hellenic Shipping News.

The estimated ransom does not include brokerage fees, Hoang Son, vice director of Hoang Son Co. Ltd., said after a meeting with a British company which specializes in maritime hostage negotiation.

Son told Vietnamese news agency that the ship was insured against hijackers by the Vietnam Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development, but the policy does not cover people and cargo.

The HOANG SON SUN was carrying 21,000 tons of iron ore when it was attacked about 520 nautical miles South-East of Muscat, Oman on January 17.

“If pirates ask for such huge ransom, there’s no way the company can afford it," Son said. "We need the support of the state and our insurer."

That same day, the Hai Phong shipping firm announced that they had received a fax from the ship's captain assuring them of the crew's safety. On January 18 the crew had sent a fax, informing the owners of the attack and asking for help, the company said. They believe that the faxes were sent when the pirates were off-guard. The company was yet to contact the crew directly.

In the meantime, Nguyen Duy Thien, the Vietnamese ambassador to Tanzania and its neighboring countries, said he is working with the Somali embassy in Tanzania to secure the government’s agencies.

Nguyen Manh Dung, the Vietnamese ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, told Vietnamese news agencies that he has also contacted European marine security agencies for help in acquiring more information and tracking the ship.

Reports reaching Somalia Report this morning indicate that pirates have sized a Greek owned product tanker MV IRENE SL early today.

EU NAVFOR says in a statement that the products tanker MV IRENE SL was pirated approximately 350 nautical miles South East of Muscat in the North Arabian Sea.

The Greek flagged MV IRENE SL has a dead weight of 319,247 tones and she is owned by Athens based FIRST NAVIGATION ENE. Her managers are ENESEL SA of Athens.

The vessel was on its way to Suez from Fujairah when it was attacked.

Other sources say that she was taken by gunmen while under way to Mexico from Kuwait fully laden with crude oil.

At present there is no further information on the attack. She has a crew of 25 comprised of 7 Greeks, 1 Georgian and 17 Filipinos.

There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew.

EU NAVFOR says MV IRENE SL was not registered with Maritime Security Centre, but was reporting to UKMTO.

It is feared that it will make a record ransom given that it is a huge ship and oil prices are currently high.

Pirates are currently holding over 700 seafarers hostage.