News / Africa

Somali Pirates Hijack South Korean Ship

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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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