Dubai: Several hijackers of a Dubai-registered ship were arrested when the vessel was stormed by Somali troops off the war-torn East African nation.
The hijacking of the Al Khaleej was the 12th reported incident in Somali waters this year, according to International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors piracy at sea.
"A number of pirates have been arrested. We are trying to get a detailed report," IMB's assistant director Michael Howlett told Gulf News by phone from London yesterday. The troops boarded the vessel on Monday and freed the ship's crew. The pirates are believed to be Somalis.
Food aboard
IMB could not indicate the number of crewmen and their nationalities. Information on the ship's cargo was also not available. IMB declined to disclose the ship's present location and the crew's condition.
According to a wire agency report, the Al Khaleej was carrying food for sale in Somalia when it was hijacked seven kilometres off the port of Bosasso on Monday.
