Somalia Pirates Seize Japanese-owned Metals Ship - Kenya

NAIROBI (AFP)--Pirates have seized a Japanese-owned vessel transporting lead and zinc off the Somali coast, a Kenyan maritime official said Tuesday. The Panama-flagged MV Stella Maris was seized Sunday near Calula, a port town in Somalia's breakaway northern region of Puntland, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program. The hijackers of the freighter are yet to make any demands, Mwangura told AFP, adding no information about its port of origin and destination, crew size or their nationalities had been received. The vessel is owned by Turtel Marine Shipping and managed by MMS Company of Japan. The waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years, are considered to be among the most dangerous in the world. According to the International Maritime Bureau, more than 25 ships were seized off Somalia's 3,700 kilometers of coastline last year despite patrols by an international force based in Djibouti.

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