Somali pirates seize cargo ship

NAIROBI: Pirates have seized a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, monitors reported on Monday, in the latest incident since a resurgence of maritime attacks around the Horn of Africa.
Eight people boarded and took control of the merchant ship near Marraye in Somalia, according to alerts by UK Maritime Trade Operations and the EU’s Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean (MSCIO), without naming the vessel.
“The crew is reported safe at this time,” the MSCIO said.
Piracy was rampant off the coast of Somalia in the 2000s and peaked in 2011, after which it was significantly reduced by international naval deployments and new tactics by commercial shipping.
But Somali pirates have again been active this year.
In April and May, three tankers containing oil and fertilizer were seized and are being held off the Somali coast, while a chemical tanker was seized in Yemeni waters and brought to the Somali coast in July.
The attacks add to the risks for shipping in the Red Sea, which has become a more important supply route since Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.