VOA News April 21, 2011
An Italian cargo ship with 21 crew members in pirate-infested waters near Somalia has been hijacked by pirates.
The European Union's anti-piracy force says pirates seized the bulk carrier MV Rosalia D'amato early Thursday in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Oman.
It says the ship's crew includes six Italians and 15 Filipinos. Italian officials say the pirates fired on the ship but that none of the crew were harmed.
Map courtesy of CIA World FactBook
Officials say all 20 crew members aboard the South Korean-owned Hanjin Tianjin were were safe. South Korea's foreign ministry said earlier that the ship had sent a distress signal.
Somali pirates continue to terrorize shipping in the Indian Ocean and nearby waters despite international naval patrols. The pirates have hijacked dozens of ships and made hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments in the past few years.
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