Somali Pirates Grab Japanese Ship

Reported here:

Somali pirates hijacked a Japanese- owned cargo ship while it was sailing in international waters off the coast of the Horn of Africa country, a piracy-monitoring group said.

The Panama-flagged vessel, owned by Turtel Marine Shipping and managed by MMS Co. of Japan, was seized on July 20, Andrew Mwangura, head of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, said in a telephone interview today from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The ship's cargo included consignments of lead and zinc, he said.

``It is not clear where it sails from or where it sails to and also the number of crew members and their nationalities are not clear yet,'' Mwangura said.