afrol News, 26 September - Armed Somali pirates have seized a Ukrainian cargo ship off coast of Somalia with 21-crew members on board, a regional maritime official said on Friday.

East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) coordinator Andrew Mwangura reported that Belize-flagged Faina vessel was herding to Kenyan port of Mombasa when it was hijacked.

A ship was transporting authorised Ukrainian government arms shipment to Kenya including 38 type T-72 tanks, an extra number of armoured personnel carriers, and munitions for southern Sudan.

He said three motorboats loaded with armed buccaneers intercepted Ukrainian bulk carrier Faina in international waters off Kenya's Indian Ocean coast.

Ukrainian cargo ship which was sailing from Baltics and expected in Mombasa on 27 September, its whereabouts are still unknown. "But pirates often take ships to Eyl, pirate den in the country's northern breakaway region of Puntland," regional maritime official stated.

Escalating pirate hijackings has activated involvement of multi-coalition naval force to patrol world's most dangerous waters. US Navy said Western coalition warships and aircraft will assist by patrols to boost security in Gulf of Aden.

Last week, France circulated a draft resolution in UN Security Council urging states to deploy naval vessels and military aircrafts to join in the fight against rampant piracy off Somalia.

In recent months, multinational taskforce based in Djibouti has been patrolling parts of Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, where pirating is rife.

Dozens of merchant vessels have been seized by gangs off Somalia's 3,700-kilometre coastline in recent years, despite presence of Western navies deployed to fight terrorism.

Somalia has been without an effective central authority since 1991 ousting of former president Mohamed Siad Bare set off a deadly power struggle that has defied more than a dozen peace initiatives.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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