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EU: Somali Pirates Hijack Cargo Ship, 24 Crew Members

   VOA News 02 June 2010
   Fast  attack  boat and EMF (Embarked Military Force) team from Swedish
   warship  EUNAVFOR  flagship  HMSwMS Carlskrona,during exercise off the
   Somali coast, 11 May 2010

Photo: AP

   Fast  attack  boat and EMF (Embarked Military Force) team from Swedish
   warship  EUNAVFOR  flagship  HMSwMS Carlskrona,during exercise off the
   Somali coast, 11 May 2010

   Naval  forces  in  the Gulf of Aden say Somali pirates have hijacked a
   cargo ship with 24 crew members on board.

   The European Union's anti-piracy force says the owner of the QSM Dubai
   reported his vessel was hijacked early Wednesday.

   The  EU  sent  a helicopter to investigate and confirmed that the ship
   had been seized.

   The  crew  members  on  board  are  from  Egypt, Ghana, Bangladesh and
   Pakistan.

   Separately,  the  crew  of  a Libyan-owned ship hijacked last February
   took back control of their ship Wednesday, just off Somalia's northern
   coastline.

   The  EU  said several pirates were believed killed and one crew member
   was  seriously  injured  during  the altercation on board the merchant
   vessel  RIM.  The  European  naval  force says it has sent a vessel to
   assist the injured.

   The EU and other world powers are patrolling the waters off Somalia in
   an effort to protect shipping lanes. Despite this, Somali pirates have
   hijacked  dozens  of  boats in the past few years and taken in tens of
   millions of dollars in ransom.

   The  pirates  are currently holding more than 20 ships with around 400
   crew members.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

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