Somali pirates hijack S. Korean cargo ship

SEOUL, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Somali pirates apparently hijacked a South Korean cargo ship in the Indian Ocean Saturday, a Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said.

The 10,000-ton ship, carrying chemical materials, has a crew of eight South Koreans, two Indonesians, and 11 Burmese, the official told the Yonhap News Agency, requesting anonymity. It belongs to Samho Shipping, based in the southern port of Busan.

The ship was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka when it was captured between Oman and India shortly after noon Seoul time, he said. "The current location of the ship has not been found yet, but the crew seem to be unharmed," the official said.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry set up a task force to deal with the incident.