Somali pirates kidnapped a Thai cargo ship off the coast of Yemen
YemenOnline- August 15,2008 - Somali pirates have seized a Thai cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, a stretch of sea notorious for piracy, although all 28 crew on board were unharmed, the vessel's owner said on Friday.Thor Star Shipping said it first became concerned on Tuesday when the MV Thor Star deviated from its intended route to deliver a cargo of plywood to the port of Aden in Yemen, and repeated calls to the ship went unanswered.The company said the hijackers made contact the following day and confirmed that the crew, all of them Thai nationals, were "safe and well".A surge of hijackings for ransom by pirates based out of the lawless Horn of Africa nation of Somalia has made the sea lane one of the world's most dangerous shipping zones. In most cases, hostages are treated well in anticipation of a large ransom.
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