DTN News: Somali Pirates Seize Greek-Owned Ship In Gulf Of Aden

Defense News: DTN News: Somali Pirates Seize Greek-Owned Ship In Gulf Of Aden

Source: DTN News / Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) ATHENS, Greece/Greek - May 12, 2010: Pirates have seized a Greek-owned ship with 23 people on board in the Gulf of Aden, the ship's managers say.
The Eleni P, which is managed by Eurobulk, was carrying a cargo of iron ore from the Black Sea to China.
Eurobulk's Marcos Vassilikos told the BBC that pirates fired shots when they took the ship, but that the crew were not thought to have been injured.
Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships this year, despite the presence of international naval forces.
The Eleni P's crew included 19 Filipinos as well as two Greeks, one Ukrainian and one Romanian, Mr Vassilikos said.
He said the ship was seized at about 0600 GMT, off the coast of Somalia.
War and weak government in Somalia have allowed piracy to flourish along its coast, with frequent attacks on the busy shipping lanes that link Europe and Asia.
On Tuesday, Somali pirates released an 11,000-tonne refrigerated cargo ship that had been held for two months, after a ransom was paid.
Somali pirates have seized a Liberia-flagged and Greek-owned ship with up to 24 people aboard in the Gulf of Aden, a Greek coast guard official said on Wednesday.
"We have been informed that the Greek-owned ship Eleni P was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," the official said, declining to be named.
The ship, managed by Eurobulk Ltd, was carrying iron and sailing from Ukraine to China via Singapore. It had 23 or 24 people on board, two of whom were Greek and the rest Filipinos, the official said.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Noah Barkin; Editing by Charles Dick)