Friday, August 22, 2008
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KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Pirates have seized another vessel, a German cargo ship, off the coast of Somalia, the International Maritime Bureau said on Friday, bringing the number of ships hijacked to a record four in 48 hours.
"Another ship, a German vessel, was taken late on Thursday," said Noel Choong, head of the bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier on Thursday, Somali pirates hijacked an Iranian bulk carrier and a Japanese-operated tanker. A day earlier, they seized a Malaysian oil tanker.
The four ships had a total of 96 crew on board, including nine on the German vessel. "A naval coalition warship has been sent to the area," Choong said. Naval forces from the United States, France, Germany, Pakistan, Britain and Canada are operating in the Gulf region. (Reporting by Jalil Hamid; Editing by Faisal Aziz)
Source: Reuters, August 22, 2008