Mombasa, Kenya: Two Kenyan nationals are among those held hostage after Somali pirates seized a merchant ship on Friday.
According to Andrew Mwangura who is the Secretary General of the Seafarers Union of Kenya, MV Jamila was attacked by pirates while being repaired at sea in the middle of Uarseiek and El maan 40 miles from Mogadishu.
The ship was transporting timber to Mombasa. It left Mozambique and sailed to Mogadishu from where it was to come to Mombasa on Wednesday but developed mechanical problems in the high seas.
It drifted to the south of Mogadishu on Thursday and local residents began to loot it. On Friday armed men believed to be pirates boarded and took charge of it.
The ship was attacked while enroute to Madagascar from Mozambique.
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Two Kenyans, the Captain and one of the engineers are among those held hostage by the militia with a score of chinese sailors but the number of crew members is yet to be known.
The number of attacks by Somali pirates dropped sharply in 2013, largely because of an international naval effort. No ships were succesfully hijacked.
