Italian vessel hijacked by pirates off Somali coast

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Italian vessel hijacked by pirates off Somali coast

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An Italian vessel carrying 23 crew was hijacked by five pirates 620 miles east of Somali coast.

10 October,2011 08:14 pm

The owners of DAlesio shipping company said the crew comprised Italian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals, adding it was actively collaborating with all the related Italian and international authorities to respond to the emergency.There has been no contact with the ship since 6:44 (0444 GMT) this morning, when the captain sent a message saying the vessel was under attack and he had activated the security operating procedure.After 10 hours without news, we can consider the ship hijacked, a spokesman told AFP.Italys foreign ministry said it was in contact with the shipping company and was following the situation closely.