German shipping firm says pirates have taken its vessel

BERLIN - Pirates seized another ship near the Somali coast Sunday, a German shipping company said.

Beluga Shipping GmbH, based in the North Sea port-city of Bremen, said it had received an emergency call during the morning from one of its break-bulk carriers in the area and this seemed to be on account of a pirate attack.

It did not state the nationality of the crew. Beluga operates a fleet of ships for specialised cargo types.

The sea lanes off East Africa are vulnerable to pirates. On Saturday, pirates seized a Singapore-flagged tanker, the York. Its captain is a German national. He contacted his home by phone Sunday.

The German foreign ministry said it set up a crisis team Sunday on the piracy issue.