Somali pirates hijack Libyan cargo ship

Thursday, February 04, 2010
NAIROBI: Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden have hijacked a Libyan-owned cargo ship thought to be carrying 17 seafarers from Romania and Libya, a Kenya-based maritime group said on Thursday.

Ecoterra, which monitors shipping off Somalia, said the 4,800-tonne MV Rim was seized on Tuesday in the strategic channel south of the Yemen coast. It said it was flying a North Korean flag, but is owned by White Sea Shipping of Tripoli.

"Her crew usually comprises 17 sailors and, based on outdated crew lists, it could be assumed that they are holding Romanian and Libyan nationalities," Ecoterra said.

The group said local reports suggested the hijackers were from Somalia's semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland.

"It is assumed the vessel is now commandeered to one of the Puntland pirate lairs," it said in a statement.

A European Union counter-piracy force confirmed the hijacking but had no information on the make-up of the crew.

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