The European Union naval force says Somali pirates hijacked a cargo ship flying St. Vincent and Grenadines flag, approximately 280 nautical miles west of the Indian Ocean island-nation of the Seychelles.
E.U. NAVFOR commander John Harbour said the 7,561-ton ship appeared to have had engine problems when it was hijacked early Sunday. E.U. ships were sent to investigate the incident.
However, Andrew Mwangura, the East African coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP), told China's news agency Xinhua over telephone from Mombasa that the 23 crew-members aboard the vessel, the Rak Afrikana, were Chinese.
International naval forces have stepped up their patrolling on the high seas to thwart the piracy off the coast of the Horn of Africa, especially in the coastal waters of Somalia.
Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem till an effective government is established on Somalia, which has been plagued by factional fighting between warlords, and has not had a functioning government since the then president Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com