Somali pirates seized three Thai fishing vessels and kidnapped the 77-person crew son Tuesday in attacks that took place the farthest ever off the Somali coast.
The attacks took place 1,200 miles east of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. The hijacked ships are now being taken by the pirates toward Somalia.
Previously the pirates mainly attacked ships in the narrow, but high-traffic Gulf of Aden, but now they have increasingly moved to open waters as dozens of navy ships are patrolling the area.
Despite the deployment of dozens of warships in the vast region as part of an EU naval force to curb piracy, the number of attacks by pirates doubled last year. At present, the pirates hold 14 vessels and 305 hostages, AFP reports.
The attacks took place 1,200 miles east of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. The hijacked ships are now being taken by the pirates toward Somalia.
Previously the pirates mainly attacked ships in the narrow, but high-traffic Gulf of Aden, but now they have increasingly moved to open waters as dozens of navy ships are patrolling the area.
Despite the deployment of dozens of warships in the vast region as part of an EU naval force to curb piracy, the number of attacks by pirates doubled last year. At present, the pirates hold 14 vessels and 305 hostages, AFP reports.
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