Somali pirates hijack ship off Oman

Somali pirates have hijacked the MV Leila in the Arabian Sea, bringing the total number of attacks against ships to more than 40 this year.

The vessel was captured on Wednesday around 50 nautical miles south-southwest of Ras Al Madrakah, Oman, the International Maritime Bureau reports. However, the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) reports that the vessel was captured on Thursday with 24 crew on board, while the IMB states there were 15 crew on board.

The Panama-flagged roll on/roll off cargo vessel is owned and operated by New Port Cargo & Shipping of Dubai, United Arab Emirates and was built in 1973. In 2009, the vessel was subject to a legal action and its crew held in Somaliland for several months, Neptune Maritime Security reports.

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Story courtesy of Defence Web.