Somali pirates hijack Indian commercial ship

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS | Mon Apr 3, 2017 | 6:23am EDT

Somali pirates hijack Indian commercial ship

By Abdiqani Hassan | BOSASSO, SOMALIA

Pirates have hijacked an Indian commercial ship off the coast of Somalia, the second attack in weeks after years of inactivity by pirates, industry and security sources said on Monday.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates the management of all merchant ships and yachts in the Gulf of Aden area, said it had received information that a dhow en route to Bosasso from Dubai had been hijacked "in the vicinity of Socotra (Island)".

A spokesman said UKMTO was unable to confirm the location of the vessel, which he identified as Al Kausar, or what had taken place, and that investigations were ongoing.

"We understand Somali pirates hijacked a commercial Indian ship and (it is heading) toward Somalia shores," Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, a former director of the anti-piracy agency in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, told Reuters.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-piracy-idUSKBN1750P6

[Witch Hunter]

1. Again?

Looks like Somali pirates are in the international agenda again.
During last years no ship was captured in the area and it seemed the piracy is not a problem anymore.
In the 2016 NATO has even finished its Indian Ocean counter-piracy mission.
[link:http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/nato-ends-counter-piracy-mission|