Somali pirates hijack 2 ships, NATO scuppers attack

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Somali pirates hijacked a Greek and a Ukrainian ship on Saturday and a NATO warship briefly detained 19 pirates armed with high explosives after foiling an attack on a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.Pirates said they were taking the Ukrainian ship, hijacked in the Indian Ocean with a cargo including United Nations' vehicles, to the Somali coastal town of Haradheere."We have hijacked a ship carrying industrial equipment including white cars with the U.N. logo, our friends are on board it," a pirate who said his name was Hussein told Reuters by telephone from Haradheere.Maritime and U.N. officials were not immediately available to confirm the hijack.Gunmen also seized a Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MT Ariana, with a 24-strong Ukrainian crew, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme told Reuters."MT Ariana was seized at 10:00 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT) north of Madagascar en route to the Middle East from Brazil. The Ukrainian crew are said to be unhurt," he said.
The ship, which was flying a Maltese flag, belongs to All Oceans shipping in Greece and is managed by London-based Seven Seas Maritime.,,more..http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/05/02/2021s481063.htm