Another Greek ship hijacked
A Greek-owned cargo ship was among four vessels hijacked off the pirate-infested waters of Somalia yesterday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The MV Irene, a Greek bulk carrier flying a flag from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was overrun by pirates while sailing through the Gulf of Aden, ministry sources said, adding that the 22 Filipino crew were all believed to have been taken hostage. The East African Seafarers’ Assistance Program, which tracks piracy, was cited by Reuters yesterday as saying that all the hostages were unharmed. The pirates are believed to have taken another 40 or so hostages from the Lebanese-owned cargo ship MV Sea Horse and two Egyptian fishing boats that were also hijacked yesterday. Several Greek-owned cargo ships have been attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia this year. Last week alone, two Greek vessels evaded pirate attacks off the east African country’s coast.
