Pirates take two ships -230 miles off Somalia

Reported here, an aggressive attack on and capture of two vessels well off the coast of Somalia:

Gunmen attacked three ships off the Somali coast, seizing two and taking scores of Asian crew members hostage in the latest raid off one of the world's most dangerous coastlines, a Kenyan official said on Wednesday.

Andrew Mwangura, director of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the vessels were attacked 370 km (230 miles) off the coast of Somalia on Tuesday afternoon.
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He told Reuters the vessels were registered in Tanzania, and owned by Koreans in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

"Reaching the high seas, a group of about 12 gunmen hijacked the two fishing vessels," Mwangura said.

"Currently they are under captivity, but we don't know their exact position. Crew members on board are about 30 and are composed of Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indians."