Somalia: Ship carrying cement hijacked off Somalia\'s coast

(SomaliNet) After NATO joined a growing international force to protect vessels off the perilous coast, a ship carrying cement to the East Africa country has been hijacked, a Somali official says.

Foreign minister of the semiautonomous region of Puntland, Ali Abdi Aware, says the ship was hijacked late Thursday and its crew is believed to be Syrian and Somali.

When while on Thursday, NATO said it would send seven ships to the treacherous waters where pirates are negotiating the release of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship hijacked two weeks ago.

This year, pirates have seized more than two dozen ships off Somalia\'s coast but the MV Faina has drawn the most international concern because of its dangerous cargo — 33 tanks and other heavy weapons.-Herald Tribune