Somali pirates strike again

2006-02-26 21:30

Nairobi - Gunmen on Sunday hijacked an Indian dhow with 25 crew in the high seas off Somalia's pirate-infested coastline, a maritime official said.

"We do not know the exact location, but we suspect it was in northeastern Somalia," said Andrew Mwangura of the seafarers' assistance programme in the Kenyan port town of Mombasa.

Mwangura said the dhow, MV Bhakti Sagaar, was seized as it was sailing from the southern Somali port of Kismayo to the port of Elmaan, north of the capital Mogadishu.

"It was empty when it was seized but we have managed to contact the US navy in the Horn of Africa," Mwangura said, adding that he was also in touch with Indian maritime officials to get more information.

Somalia's coastline has become increasingly risky to ships sailing the Indian Ocean, with 37 attacks on vessels reported by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) since mid-March 2005.

Last month, a US Navy ship seized 10 suspected Somali pirates who allegedly hijacked an Indian merchant dhow.

The 10 are now facing trial before a Kenyan court where they have denied the charges.

Somalia has had no functioning central administration since the 1991 ousting of President Mohamed Siad Barre and pirates have increasingly taken advantage of the lack of authority to ply the 3 700km coast.

The country's fledgling and largely powerless transitional government has appealed for foreign navies to intervene and help patrol its waters that have been taken over by gangs of armed pirates.

- AFP