Two vessels, an Iranian bulk carrier and a Japanese-operated tanker, have been seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Thursday.
”Both ships were attacked and hijacked this morning [Thursday],” said Noel Chong, head of the IMB piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The Japanese tanker had 19 crew on board, but no Japanese nationals, Chong said.
Thursday’s seizures came after a Malaysian oil tanker, with 39 crew on board and laden with palm oil, was hijacked on Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden.
Piracy is rife off Somalia, which has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991.
Last week, pirates from Somalia hijacked two ships — a Thai cargo ship, the MV Thor Star, and a Nigerian tug boat, the MT Yenegoa Ocean.
Somali pirates are still holding a Japanese-managed bulk vessel, the MV Stella Maris, which was hijacked on July 20. — Reuters