Asia-Pacific

S.Korean ship hijacked by Somali pirates: foreign ministry

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-04 21:54
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SEOUL - A South Korean oil tanker has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

There are a total of 24 crew members onboard, including five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos.

The Marshall Islands-registered "Samho Dream", owned by South Korea's Samho Shipping, was seized by Somali pirates in waters some 1,500 km southeast of the Gulf of Aden at around 16:10 Seoul time (0710 GMT), the ministry said.

The 300,000-ton tanker was on its way from Iraq to Louisiana of the United States, it added.

The ministry said it held an emergency meeting to discuss related measures, and decided to set up a task force for rescue mission.