Somali pirates seize S.Korean vessel with 43 onboard

A South Korean fishing boat with 43 people onboard has been seized by Somali pirates off the Kenyan coast, Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Sunday.

The 241-ton crab-catching vessel, which was carrying two South Koreans, two Chinese and 39 Kenyans, was hijacked October 9 in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan island of Lamu, the ministry said in a statement.

"We are investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the incident by setting up an emergency team at our embassy in Kenya," the ministry added, without revealing the whereabouts of the vessel or crew.

The Seoul-based YTN news channel reported that the fishing boat, Keummi 305, and its crew had been taken to a pirate stronghold in northern Somalia, citing South Korean sources in Kenya.

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the 54-year-old captain, one of the South Koreans onboard, is also the head of the shipping company that owns the vessel.

The company, Keummi Fishers, has been on the verge of collapse due to financial troubles, which is expected to further complicate ransom negotiations.

According to AFP, this is the latest vessel to be captured by the Somali pirates who made an estimated $60 million in ransoms last year.

AFP