S Korean ship seized in Somalia
2007-10-30 11:35
Mogadishu - A Somali clan militia seized a South Korean cargo vessel and its 22 crew, which they were meant to be protecting, said port and security officials on Tuesday.
The hijacking was the second in three days after a Japanese chemical tanker, with 23 crew, was seized off Somalia on Sunday.
Militiamen fighters seized the MV Dia Honga Dan overnight near Mogadishu port, which was protected by African Union peacekeepers from Uganda, said officials.
"The ship was hijacked by security men who were on board and were supposed to be protecting it. The reason for the hijacking is unclear," said a port official, who requested anonymity.
AU peacekeepers' spokesperson Captain Paddy Ankunda confirmed the seizure of the ship that was anchored outside the port in southern Mogadishu.
Ankunda said: "It was far away from the seaport, it was at the anchorage. The hijacking was masterminded by the same people who were supposed to bring it into the docking."
Ankunda said the militiamen were asking for $15 000 to free the freighter that arrived in Mogadishu 10 days ago and had already unloaded.
A Japanese chemical tanker with 23 Korean, Filipino and Myanmar crew on board was hijacked off northern Somalia on Sunday.