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Somali Pirates Hijack South Korean Ship

   VOA News  15 January 2011

   Somali  pirates  have hijacked a South Korean cargo ship in the Indian
   Ocean.
   South Korean officials say the ship was traveling from the United Arab
   Emirates  to  Sri  Lanka  with  a  cargo  of  chemicals  when  it  was
   commandeered Saturday by pirates.
   South  Korea's  Yonhap  news  agency  quotes an official as saying the
   ship's  current  location  is  unclear,  but that the crew seems to be
   unharmed.
   The  10,000-ton  ship's  crew  consists  of  eight  South Koreans, two
   Indonesians and 11 Burmese citizens.
   Somali  pirates  have  hijacked  seven  other ships since December 25,
   including several vessels off the coast of Oman.
   The latest hijacking raises the number of ships held by Somali pirates
   to  31.   The  European  Union  naval force said recently that Somali
   pirates were holding more than 650 hostages.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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