WORLD BRIEFING / HIGH SEAS
Somali pirates hijacked a Greek and a Ukrainian ship, and a NATO warship briefly detained 19 pirates armed with explosives after foiling an attack on a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
Pirates said they were taking the Ukrainian ship, hijacked in the Indian Ocean with a cargo that includes United Nations’ vehicles, to the Somali coastal town of Harardhere.
“We have hijacked a ship carrying industrial equipment including white cars with the U.N. logo; our friends are on board it,” a pirate who said his name was Hussein told Reuters news agency by telephone from Harardhere.
Gunmen also seized a Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MT Ariana, flying a Maltese flag with a 24-member Ukrainian crew, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program told Reuters.
“MT Ariana was seized . . . north of Madagascar en route to the Middle East from Brazil. The Ukrainian crew are said to be unhurt,” Mwangura said.
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