Another cargo boat has been hijacked by Somalian pirates near Mogadishu port in the ninth such attack since the weekend, an Indian shipping association said Wednesday.
The latest reported hijacking came a day after the Kutch Vahanvati Association said up to 100 Indian sailors had been seized by Somali pirates who captured up to eight boats in one of their biggest raids yet.
Kasam Ali, president of the shipping association in the western Indian state of Gujarat, told AFP that the latest hijacked vessel had 11 Indian sailors on board when it was overpowered.
He said the ship, Al Barari of Dubai, was hijacked by pirates while it was anchored near Mogadishu port, adding that the attack was witnessed by the crew of another vessel owned by a Gujarat business.
The Indian government meanwhile said it had no details about the reported hijacking at the weekend of the other Gujarat-based vessels with up to 100 Indian sailors.
Navy spokesman P.B.S. Satish in New Delhi said Indian authorities were yet to "establish" whether the missing boats had indeed been hijacked.
Association president Ali also said there was no word from the missing sailors.
"Neither the crew members or the hijackers of the eight boats have contacted either the association or the owners of the boats," Ali said.
The vessels were reported missing when the shipping body received a call from the crew of a boat that had escaped the attack.
The Times of India newspaper on Tuesday said the ships were on their way to Dubai when they were hijacked after leaving a port in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia.
Somali pirates, targeting one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.
Indian vessels and ships with Indian crew have often been the target of hijackings, although the capture of 100 sailors would be one of the largest raids yet.
In a separate attack, the London based International Maritime Bureau said heavily armed pirates shot and wounded nine seafarers during a bloody but unsuccessful attempt to hijack a North Korean cargo ship off Kenya on Wednesday.
Over the past year, Somali pirates have shifted operations away from the heavily patrolled Gulf of Aden to launch their attacks further out at sea.
On Monday, pirates also seized the Panamanian-flagged MV Iceberg I and its crew of 24 just off the coast of Yemen, bringing to at least 17 the number of ships currently held by pirates, together with more than 200 seamen.
Kasam Ali, president of the shipping association in the western Indian state of Gujarat, told AFP that the latest hijacked vessel had 11 Indian sailors on board when it was overpowered.
He said the ship, Al Barari of Dubai, was hijacked by pirates while it was anchored near Mogadishu port, adding that the attack was witnessed by the crew of another vessel owned by a Gujarat business.
The Indian government meanwhile said it had no details about the reported hijacking at the weekend of the other Gujarat-based vessels with up to 100 Indian sailors.
Navy spokesman P.B.S. Satish in New Delhi said Indian authorities were yet to "establish" whether the missing boats had indeed been hijacked.
Association president Ali also said there was no word from the missing sailors.
"Neither the crew members or the hijackers of the eight boats have contacted either the association or the owners of the boats," Ali said.
The vessels were reported missing when the shipping body received a call from the crew of a boat that had escaped the attack.
The Times of India newspaper on Tuesday said the ships were on their way to Dubai when they were hijacked after leaving a port in the rebel territory of Kismayo in Somalia.
Somali pirates, targeting one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.
Indian vessels and ships with Indian crew have often been the target of hijackings, although the capture of 100 sailors would be one of the largest raids yet.
In a separate attack, the London based International Maritime Bureau said heavily armed pirates shot and wounded nine seafarers during a bloody but unsuccessful attempt to hijack a North Korean cargo ship off Kenya on Wednesday.
Over the past year, Somali pirates have shifted operations away from the heavily patrolled Gulf of Aden to launch their attacks further out at sea.
On Monday, pirates also seized the Panamanian-flagged MV Iceberg I and its crew of 24 just off the coast of Yemen, bringing to at least 17 the number of ships currently held by pirates, together with more than 200 seamen.
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