By IANS,
Nairobi : Somali pirates have hijacked a Libyan cargo ship with 17 crewmembers on board, an official said Thursday.
The North Korean-flagged MV Rim was hijacked Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, said Andrew Mwangura, East Africa coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Programme.
“We received reports that the MV Rim was hijacked Wednesday morning in the Gulf of Aden, outside the internationally recommended transit corridor patrolled by the anti-piracy naval coalition. The ship has 17 crewmembers,” Mwangura told Xinhua on phone from Mombasa.
The 4,800-tonne MV Rim is owned by Libya’s White Sea Shipping company and was heading towards the Somali coast when it was hijacked. The MV Rim is the third ship seized by Somali pirates this year.