By Mohammed Dhaysane
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – Somali pirates have hijacked an Indian-flagged cargo ship with 11 crew members aboard off the coast of Somalia’s northern Puntland region, officials said Monday.
Abdirahman Hassan, the director general of the Puntland maritime police force, told Anadolu Agency the vessel was hijacked on Sunday, but they learned about it a day later.
“Armed men…took the ship and its all 11 crew members to Eyl town,” Hassan said.
Eyl is located in Somalia’s northern region of Nugal, which was once known as a pirate stronghold.
Admiral Farah Qarre, former commander of Somalia’s Coast Guard, and the current chairman of Somali Marine Resource and Research Center confirmed the incident to Anadolu Agency over the phone, saying that the ship was headed to Bosaso Port from the United Arab Emirates.
Sunday’s incident is the third hijacking by Somali pirates in the last 30 days.
On March 24, Somali pirates hijacked a fishing vessel with 10 Yemeni crew off the Puntland region.
Earlier this month, pirates hijacked the U.A.E.-flagged Aris 13 oil tanker in the Indian Ocean as it was transporting oil from Djibouti to Mogadishu.
The pirates released the oil tanker, without receiving any ransom, on March 13.
