Somali pirates seize UAE owned ship

NAIROBI - Somali pirates have seized a United Arab Emirates (UAE) owned cargo ship with 24 crew in waters off Somalia, a regional maritime official said Monday.

Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Program said the 4,500-tonne Panamanian-flagged Iceberg 1, owned by Iceberg International Ltd, was carrying general mechanical equipment from Port of Aden to UAE, Xinhua reported.

“The Icerberg I crew is composed of Yemeni, Pinoy, Pakistani, Ghanaian, Indian and Sudanese,” Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa.

He said the seizure took place about 10 nautical miles from the port of Aden.