Pirates seize Italian vessel in Gulf of Guinea
09:23, 25 July 2011
ROME. July 25. KAZINFORM Pirates seized an Italian-flagged vessel with a crew of 23 in the Gulf of Guinea on Sunday, Italian media reported. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
The Rbd Anema e Core cargo ship with 20 Filipino seamen, two Italians and a Romanian captain onboard sent a distress call when three pirates boarded the ship approximately 23 nautical miles (about 42 kilometers) south of Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin.
Two weeks ago Italian government allowed commercial ships, travelling through dangerous waters, to hire security guards or soldiers.
There is no information whether the seized vessel had armed guards onboard.
Over the last six months pirates have seized several Italian ships. kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version