Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday 21 October 2008: Armed pirates in speedboats have hijacked an Indian dhow with 13 crewmembers off the northern coast of Somalia, an official said.

The cargo-laden vessel was en route to Somalia from Asia when it was seized over the weekend, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday.

The bureau only received a distress report from a third party on Monday and is still verifying the time and date of the attack, he said.

No further details were immediately available.

The Indian Navy has already deployed warships in the Gulf of Aden to ensure safety of Indian sailors who could be deployed there in future.

The move was seen as a response to the big problems of Somalian pirates and perhaps a response to families of the 18 Indians on-board the hijacked ship, Stolt Valor.

The warship carries a helicopter and marine commandos. The Government also hinted that any armed action to protect Indian sailors would be taken only in consultation with other navies operating in the region.

On August 21, Somalian pirates hijacked the merchant vessel Iran Deyanat carrying 40,000 tonnes of iron ore en-route from China to Netherlands on the Red sea.

At this point, at least 26 vessels lie hijacked off anarchic Somalia including the Stolt Valor and the Faina.

(Agency)