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Nairobi (AFP) April 11, 2010 Somali pirates seized a cargo ship and its 23-member Chinese crew on Sunday in the Indian Ocean west of the Seychelles, an organisation in Kenya that monitors piracy on the high seas said. The Rak Afrikana, with a cargo capacity of 7,561 tonnes, is owned by Rak Afrikana Shipping Ltd of the Seychelles, but sails under a flag of convenience from St Vincent and the Grenadines. "It developed mechanical problems and then stopped," said Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance Programme in the Kenyan port city of Mombassa. "This is when the pirates came in. The crew is 23, and all of them are Chinese." In a statement, the European Union naval force off Somalia said the Rak Afrikana was hijacked about 280 nautical miles (520 kilometres) west of the Seychelles. One of its maritime patrol aircraft had spotted the vessel and reported eight people on board, "three of them possible pirates," it said, adding that the Italian frigate Scirocco was en route to the area. It did not disclose where the Rak Afrikana was sailing from, going to, or the nationality of its crew, but it noted that the vessel was "currently stopped due to engine problems".
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