Greek Ship Hijacked by Pirates Off Somali Coast
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Armed pirates in speedboats hijacked a Greek chemical
tanker with 20 crew members in the Gulf of Aden near
Somalia, a maritime official said Saturday.
The Greek ship, which was flying a Panamanian flag, was
traveling from Southeast Asia to Europe when it was seized
Friday, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime
Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
No further details were immediately available, he said.
The attack comes despite increased international cooperation
to crack down on pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
Friday's hijacking pushed the number of attacks this year in
the African waters to 69. A total of 27 ships have been hijacked,
and 11 remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 200
crew members, Choong said.
He said more serious action needs to be taken to intercept
pirate boats and detain the bandits.
"As long as there are no firm deterrents, pirates will continue
to attack," Choong said.
Momentum has been growing for coordinated international action
following the Sept. 25 hijacking of the Ukrainian ship MV Faina,
which was carrying tanks and other heavy weaponry.
The U.N. Security Council this past week called on countries
to send naval ships and military aircraft, and U.S. warships
are being diverted from counterterrorism duties to respond to
the sea bandits.
NATO ministers agreed Thursday to send seven ships within two
weeks to the area, where six U.S. warships are already surrounding
the Faina. Russia also announced it would cooperate with the West
in the fight, and several European countries have said they would
launch an anti-piracy patrol.
Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991,
has been impoverished by decades of conflict, and piracy by
Somali gangs has emerged as a lucrative racket that brings in
millions of dollars in ransoms.
![[Powered By MySQL]](/images/mysql-04.gif)