Pirates are suspected of seizing a Jordanian-flagged vessel off the coast of Somalia after authorities lost contact with it, Jordan's transport minister has said.
"Contact with the Victoria, a Jordan-flagged boat, was lost at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) Saturday," Jordan's state-run Petra news agency quoted Alaa Batayneh as saying.
"It is believed that the vessel has been hijacked," he said, adding that the vessel was 35 nautical miles off the Somali coast when contact was lost.
The ship is owned by an Emirati company and was carrying 4,200 tonnes of sugar donated by Denmark to Somalia, Batyaneh said.
"The ministries of transport and foreign affairs are co-ordinating with the concerned parties to secure the release of the boat and its crew," he said.
The crew includes Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis and Tanzanians, the transport minister said.
Andrew Mwangura from the Kenyan branch of the Seafarer's Assistance Programme said pirates had taken control of the ship and were sailing it northwards.
Hefty ransoms
If the vessel has been seized, it would be the latest in a string of such incidents to take place in waters close to the Somali coast since April.
Last month, pirates took control of a French yacht and held hostage a 30-member crew for a week before a ransom of $2m was paid for their release.
Pirates also seized a Spanish trawler off Somalia and held 26 crew members for ransom. The crew were released nearly a week later.
The Spanish government has said it paid no ransom but the Kenya-based Seafarers' Assistance Programme said the ship was released after $1.2m was paid.
Last year more than 25 ships were captured by pirates in Somali coastal waters, despite the presence of US naval patrols.
Source: Agencies
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