Pirates Seize Ship in Somalia
By MOHAMMED OLAD HASSAN
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Pirates in Somalia hijacked a cargo ship with dozens of foreign crew members reportedly on board, officials said Tuesday.
The attackers seized the ship late Monday in the waters off the war-battered capital, Mogadishu, said Paddy Ankunda, a Somalia spokesman for the African Union, which has peacekeepers at the city's port.
The crew members' origins were not known, but South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it did not believe any South Korean nationals were onboard.
An international watchdog reported this month that pirate attacks worldwide jumped 14 percent in the first nine months of 2007, with the biggest increases off the poorly policed waters of Somalia and Nigeria.