Suspected pirates seize vessel carrying cement off Somalia, second hijacking incident in days

A cargo vessel carrying cement and flying the flag of St Kitts and Nevis has been hijacked off Somalia's coast, a local maritime security official said Monday. The ship was seized off the coastal town of Garacad in the Somali region of Puntland, according to an operations officer from the Puntland Maritime Police Force, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The incident also was reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which cited a hijacking incident six nautical miles northeast of Garacad. The vessel had departed from Egypt and was heading to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. It was not possible to verify how many people were on board the vessel. The Puntland official said nine pirates boarded and took control of the vessel. This is the second incident in less than a week; on Wednesday an oil tanker was seized in waters off Puntland.(AP) RD RD

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