South Korean Cargo Ship Hijacked by Somali Pirates

2011-01-18 1

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Another South Korean ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates over the weekend. South Korea's Foreign Ministry says it is seeking to secure the ship's release.

On Monday South Korea's foreign ministry said that it will try to win the release of the cargo ship "Samho Jewelry" that was hijacked by Somali pirates over the weekend.

[Kim Young-sun, Foreign Ministry Spokesman]:
"Our government will consider all possible measures to solve the hijacking case as soon as possible. And we will cooperate closely with the international community to stop such activities by pirates in the future."

Somali pirates commandeered the ship which belongs to Samho Shipping in the Arabian Sea, on Saturday.

Two months ago a super oil tanker belonging to the same company was freed after being held hostage for seven months.

Somali pirates say they got a record sum of $9.5 million ransom for the supertanker.

The "Samho Jewelry" has a crew of eight Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 from Burma.

It was hijacked while on its way to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates.

A South Korean Navy destroyer was about 1,200 miles away at the time.

Over the last few years, pirates have seized dozens of ships, including large oil tankers, in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

South Korean media reports the crew are safe, but the exact location of the ship is not known.

Officials at Samho Shipping have not been reachable for comment.