Somali pirates hijack three Thai fishing ships with 77 crew members

Andrew Mwangura, East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the pirates hijacked MV Prantalay 11, 12, and 14 with 77 crew members onboard in one of the farthest-off- shore attacks to date.

EU Naval Force Commander John Harbour also confirmed the seizure, saying the three Thai vessels were attacked almost 600 miles (960 km) outside the normal operation area for the EU Naval Force. "These latest hijackings are the furthest east of any pirate attacks in the area since the start of EU NAVFOR's Operation Atalanta in December 2008, almost 600 miles outside the normal EU NAVFOR operating area," Harbour said.

He said the attack so far out at sea was a clear indication that the EU, NATO and CMF were having a marked effect on pirate activity in the area.

Harbour said the MV Prantalay 11 has 26 Thai crew members, MV Prantalay 12 has 25 and MV Prantalay 14 has 26 on board.

He also said the hijacked vessels belong to a Thai based company PT Interfishery Ltd. He confirmed that all 77 Thai crew members were safe and well and that the vessels were heading towards the Somali coast; Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.news.xinhuanet.com for full version.