Pirates Seize Two Ships in Indian Ocean

Somali pirates have hijacked a German cargo ship in the Indian Ocean  the second vessel to be captured in the region in as many days.The German shipping company Beluga says pirates seized the Beluga Fortune Sunday more than 1,900 kilometers east of Mombasa, Kenya.The company said the ship was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa when it was seized. It declined to give details about number of crew members or their nationalities.On Saturday, suspected Somali pirates seized another vessel, this one a liquified petroleum gas tanker, a short distance off the Kenyan coast.The Singapore-flagged MV York is carrying a crew of 17 that includes one German, two Ukrainians, and 14 Filipinos.The ship’s operator, the Athens-based Interunity Management Corporation, reported that the tanker is sailing toward the Somali coast.The European Union’s anti-piracy naval force says Somali pirates are now holding 19 ships in all with 428 hostages.Naval forces from the EU, NATO, and several individual countries are patrolling waters near Somalia to combat piracy. Despite the patrols, Somali pirates continue to seize ships and receive multi-million dollar ransoms for their release – Voanews