NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - The EU naval force says Somali pirates have hijacked a Turkish vessel with 25 crew onboard east of the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
EU Naval Spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour says the MV Yasin C was taken around midday on Wednesday 250 miles off the Kenyan coast.
He says the crew onboard the 36,000-ton bulk carrier are believed to be Turkish.
Somali pirate attacks have spiked in recent weeks. At least 17 ships and more than 240 crew are believed to be currently held by pirates off the lawless coast of Somalia.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. Multimillion-dollar ransoms have become a way to make money in the impoverished nation.
(COPYRIGHT 2010 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
