Gulf of Aden Hijackings Continue

AS Reported HERE

Nairobi - Somali pirates seized a Panama-flagged freighter in the Gulf of Aden early Monday, the European Union's anti-piracy mission.The cement carrier MV Suez was hijacked in an international corridor patrolled by warships from the EU and other nations, EU NAVFOR said.The mission dispatched a helicopter to the scene after the freighter sent an SOS, but attempts to make contact with the pirates failed.The MV Suez has a crew of 23 from Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.Piracy is rife off the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia, which has not had an effective central government since 1991.Somali pirates are currently holding at least 22 ships and around 400 crew members, according to non-governmental organizations.Heavily-armed gangs take to the seas in search of multimillion- dollar ransoms despite the presence international warships, which were sent to region following a spike in pirate attacks in late 2008.