Pirates Seize Malaysian Container Ship

Somali pirates captured a Malaysian container ship and its crew on Friday in the Indian Ocean.

The Albedo was seized approximately 900 nautical miles from Mogadishu early Friday, said Navfor, the EU anti-piracy naval force.

"The MV Albedo is Malaysian-flagged and owned, with a crew of 23 (Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Iranian)," a Navfor statement said. "The vessel was carrying containers and was bound for Mombasa from Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates."

Piracy news from JOC:
Marad Warns of Increasing Pirate Attacks .

Including the Albedo, pirates are currently holding 22 vessels with 521 hostages, Navfor said.

Piracy has long been a problem in the Indian Ocean off Somalia, where the lack of a functioning government over most of the last 15 years has allowed its vast coastline to be turned into a perfect refuge for criminal gangs.

-- Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.