Somali pirates seize Greek ship, says EU
By DPA, IANSMonday, January 17, 2011
NAIROBI/LONDON - Somali pirates have seized a Greek-owned ship, the MV Eagle, in the Gulf of Aden, the European Union’s anti-piracy force EU NAVFOR said Monday.
EU NAVFOR said pirates fired small arms and a rocket-propelled grenade before boarding the Cypriot-flagged ship in the early hours of Monday morning.
There has since been no contact with the ship, which has a crew of 24 Filipinos, EU NAVFOR said in a statement.
The latest seizure follows the Sunday release of another Greek ship, the MV Motivator, which had a crew of 18 Filipinos. Pirates seized the vessel July 4, EU NAVFOR said.
Piracy is rife off the coast of lawless Somalia, and dozens of ships are seized for ransom each year despite the deployment of a fleet of international warships in the busy shipping lanes off Somalia.
