Mumbai: Suspected Somali pirates have hijacked a Maltese-flagged ship with nine Indian and 13 Iranian crew members on board, a top Indian maritime official said in Mumbai on Monday evening.
The ship, MV Sinin, is loaded with around 52,000 tons of iron ore and was proceeding from Singapore to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to directorate general of shipping (DGS).
The DGS said that the ship's owner, Irano Hind Shipping Co Ltd, Teheran, had informed that it had lost contact with the ship since Saturday afternoon.
According to latest information available with the DGS, the ship is proceeding towards the Somalia coast.
The ship had sent a distress signal while sailing around 350 nautical miles east of Masirah, Oman, after which all contact was lost.
IANS
First Published: Monday, February 14, 2011, 22:29