Pirates seize ship

IN THE first incident of its kind in five years, Somali pirates have hijacked a ship off the coast of Somalia, after it was reported to be heading to the capital Mogadishu.

According to media reports, details of the hijacking only started emerging yesterday morning after the ship sent a distress call on Monday evening.

Officials from the Puntland region said two dozen men boarded the merchant ship, a Sri Lankan freighter, off Somalia’s northern coast. There has been no contact with the ship since the distress call was received and its tracking system is apparently switched off.