Mogadishu, January 02: Somali pirates have hijacked a Mozambican-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 14 sailors onboard off the coast of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean.
The European Union’s anti-piracy task force said in a statement on Saturday that the 140-ton Vega 5 was seized about 200 nautical miles (370 km) southwest of the Comoros Isles.
The incident happened days after a Taiwanese fishing vessel and a German-owned freighter were seized by Somali pirates.
The waters off the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia are considered the world’s most dangerous in terms of persistent piracy attempts.
The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for more than 20,000 vessels traveling from Asia to Europe and the Americas.
However, attacks by the heavily armed Somali pirates in speedboats have prompted some of the world’s largest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and send cargo vessels around southern Africa, causing a hike in shipping costs.
In November, a UN report said that the number of successful hijackings by Somali pirates has climbed in 2010, becoming more violent and expanding in terms of the zone of attacks.
There are currently 27 vessels and 600 crew members held by Somali pirates, the European Union naval force mission said on Saturday.
Somalia, located in the strategic Horn of Africa, does not have a functional government, and the Transitional Federal Government does not have much control beyond the capital city Mogadishu.
——–Agencies