Pirates hijacked two more ships—a British cargo ship and an Indonesian chemical tanker—off the coast of Somalia yesterday, officials said this morning, bringing to four the number seized this week, despite an international naval armada aimed at protecting shipping in the area. The latest targets were the UK-flagged Asian Glory, with a crew of 25, and the Singaporean-flagged Pramoni, with 24 onboard, the AP reports.
Last Monday, Somali pirates captured the UK-flagged chemical tanker, the St James Park, in the Gulf of Aden on its way to Thailand from Spain; the same day the Navios Apollon, a Panamanian-flagged Greek cargo ship was hijacked north of the Seychelles. (More pirates stories.)