Pirates have hijacked two foreign ships off Somalia within 24 hours in a new spate of attacks there, foreign navies patrolling the region said today.
The seizure of the ships undermined hopes that the arrival of a flotilla of ships from Western and Asian countries was starting to rein in piracy near one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
The European Union's Maritime Security Centre said a 9,000 tonne Greek-owned Panamanian-registered vessel, with 19 crew, was attacked east of Somalia on Wednesday while a 23,000 tonne Norwegian-owned and Bahamian-registered vessel was captured today.
A US Navy spokesman identified the second vessel as the Bow Asir.
"The cargo is unknown. There are 23 crew members aboard," said a spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
Nato said the other ship was the Nipayia.
Reuters