Somali pirates hijack Malaysian flagged ship

Sri Lankans among crew:

A Malaysian flagged ship with a 23 member crew including Sri Lankans have been hijacked by the Somali pirates. The MV Albedo container vessel was en route to Kenya from the United Arab Emirates when it was hijacked about 900 nautical miles east of the Somali coast.

Other nationalities on the hijacked ship are Pakistanis, Iranians, and Bangladeshis. Ecoterra International, an environmental group monitoring maritime activities in the West Asian region and the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur have confirmed the ship is being commandeered towards central Somalia.

Head of the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre Noel Choong has said that the pirates now held 23 vessels and 531 hostages, and has expressed concern over the long-range attack on the ship by Somali pirates.

He has warned that it will not be easy to eradicate the pirates, and piracy off Somali waters will flourish. In 2008 Somali pirates hijacked two Malaysian-owned ships, which were released after payment of a ransom.