Somali pirates seize second Stolt ship
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates have hijacked a second ship chartered by chemical tanker shipping group Stolt-Nielsen, a regional maritime official said on Tuesday.
Gunmen seized the Stolt Strength in the Gulf of Aden on Monday afternoon, nearly two months after they hijacked Stolt Valor, a chemical tanker on its way to India.
"The ship has a 21-member crew. All are Filipino," said Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Association that monitors piracy, adding that the Philippines-flagged carrier is managed by Victoria Ship Management in Manila and is on a long-term charter to Stolt-Nielsen.
Piracy off Somalia has made the sealane linking the Middle East Gulf and Asia to Europe and beyond via the Suez Canal one of the most dangerous in the world.
Hijackers took a ship managed by Danish company Clipper Group with 13 crew members last week.
The International Maritime Bureau says 199 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy were reported worldwide from January to September this year, of which 63 were in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast.
Ten European Union nations said on Monday they would contribute to an EU operation that would deploy an air and naval force to guard the busy channel.
The operation is due to be launched next month and is expected to involve four to six ships at any given time, as well as several maritime surveillance aircraft.
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