MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 3 (UPI) -- A British-owned vessel carrying soya was seized by pirates Saturday about 300 miles from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, authorities said.
The hijacking of MV Ariana was announced by NATO, which described it as the first time in a week that pirates operating out of Somalia have succeeded in grabbing a ship, Skynews reported Saturday.
NATO said the crew of the hijacked vessel is Ukrainian. They are believed to have survived the seizure of the vessel unharmed.
An aircraft from the European Union was tracking the Ariana, which was proceeding toward Somalia. The hijacking occurred at around dawn.
The Ariana was carrying 35,000 tons of soya.
A Portuguese naval vessel, the Corte-Real, came to the aid of the MV Kition, a tanker owned in the Bahamas, when it was approached by a small vessel Friday evening in the Gulf of Aden. The Portuguese ship dispatched a helicopter to seize the skiff and then used special forces to board the mother ship.
Pirates have reportedly shifted to the area around the Seychelles recently because of the large number of naval vessels operating in the Gulf of Aden.
