Somali pirates seize German freight ship off Kenya's coast

Somali pirates have seized a German freight ship off the coast of Kenya - the second commercial vessel to be captured in the region in as many days, officials have said.

The pirates took control of the German freight ship Beluga Fortune about 1,200 miles east of Mombasa, Kenya, a spokesman for the German army said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with military regulations.

The German shipping company Beluga-Reederei, which owns the vessel, said Somali pirates were behind the attack and that the ship was on its way from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa, The Press Association reports.

A company statement said the ship Beluga Fortune was reportedly carrying heavy packages from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Richards Bay when it was seized by Somali pirates at 7:08 am (0508 GMT), but it did not give details about the number of people on board or their nationality.

Earlier on Saturday, a Singapore-flagged liquefied-gas tanker was seized by pirates about 170 km off Mombasa.
European naval forces in Brussels said in a statement that the Greek-owned tanker York, a 5,076-tonne tanker en route for the Seychelles, was carrying 17-member crew, including a German master, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos, RTTNews reports.