Pirates Seize Panama-flag Vessel

Pirates seized a Panama-flag ship 180 nautical miles west of the Seychelles, Bloomberg reported.

Pirates based in Somalia seized the Al Kaliq Oct. 22, according to the Seychelles Coast Guard, said the Victoria, a newspaper based in the Seychelles capital of Mahe.

The ship has a crew of 26 and was last seen steaming toward the Somali coast, which lies to the west of the island nation.

Officials of the Seychelles government lost contact with the ship after hearing rifle fire and getting a report that some members of the crew were locked up, the newspaper said.

The Seychelles government said it would increase security and deploy troops to its outer islands, Bloomberg reported.