Captain killed by pirates, confirms shipowner

It has been confirmed that the Sri Lankan captain of the UAE owned ship was killed in a pirate attack.

Sunil Dharmaratne was captaining the vessel Ocean Trite along with seven other Sri Lankans and two Indian nationals and was carrying petroleum products from Iran when the incident occurred. "It was definitely a pirate attack. The incident occurred on September 26," said Hassan the owner of Alco Shipping.

The vessel arrived at Hamriya Port on Sunday. Sharjah police meanwhile have detained the remaining crew men, consisting of seven Sri Lankans and two Indians for questioning.

Sri Lankan Consul General in Dubai told Emirates 24|7 that the cause of the death is yet to be determined.

“The ship was in in the international waters when the incident occurred,” said the Sri Lankan Consul General Wasantha Senanayake.

The consulate was informed about the incident by the Captain’s son who lives in Australia, he said.

“Police are investigating the case. The remaining crew are in the custody of Sharjah police and are being questioned,” he said. According to reports the captain was killed after he was shot at. According to another source the captain was first stabbed and then shot dead.

“We are expecting to receive the Captain’s body by tomorrow. The body will be transported to Sri Lanka after an autopsy is conducted,” said Senanayake.  Sri Lankan Authorities in Sharjah along with the UAE authorities will conduct the autopsy. Dharmaratne was a retired naval officer.

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