Somali pirates hijack ship

SOMALI pirates hijacked a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship with 23 crew onboard during an early morning raid yesterday, the EU Naval Force said.

The crew onboard the 17,300-ton MV Suez are from Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, the force said in statement.

The ship, carrying bags of cement, was travelling in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor, a stretch of water patrolled by a naval coalition. Navies say the ocean is too big for them to stop all pirate attacks.