Sri Lanka bound South Korean-run ship hi-jacked

A South Korean chemical freighter with 21 crew members aboard was hijacked in the Arabian Sea on Saturday apparently by Somali pirates, an official at Seoul’s foreign ministry said.

 The crew of the 11,500-ton ship, the Samho Jewelry, comprise eight South Koreans, two Indonesians, and 11 others from Myanmar, the official said, requesting anonymity.

 The ship was en route to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates when it was seized in the waters between Oman and India around noon (Seoul time), he said, adding that the vessel belongs to Samho Shipping Co. based in the southern port city of Busan.

 “The current location of the ship has not been found yet but the crew seem unharmed,” the official said.

 The foreign ministry formed a task force to deal with the incident, he added.

 The headquarters of Samho Shipping was closed for Saturday and its officials were not available for comments.

 Last November, two dozen crew members of a 300,000-ton tanker, the Samho Dream, owned by the company were released after being held hostage by Somali pirates for seven months. The company reportedly paid more than US$9 million in ransom.

 Meanwhile, two other South Koreans remain in the hands of Somali pirates after their 241-ton trawler, the Keummi 305, was hijacked in October last year in waters off Kenya’s Lamu Island, Yonhap reports.