EU: Somali pirates hijack cargo ship

[June 02, 2010]  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- The European Union's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have hijacked a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden.

A statement from the EU naval force says the owner of the QSM Dubai reported his vessel was hijacked early Wednesday. One of the navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden sent an aircraft to investigate and it confirmed the ship had been hijacked, the statement says.

The ship has 24 crew members who are Egyptian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Ghanaian. The vessel, which is flying a Panamanian flag, sailed from Brazil.

Somali pirates are currently holding at least 20 vessels.

The Horn of Africa nation's 19 years of lawlessness has allowed piracy to flourish, with pirates earning multimillion dollar ransoms.

[Associated Press]

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