Somali Pirates Attack Again

Armed Somali pirate along the coastline on Jan. while the Greek cargo ship, MV Filitsa, is seen anchored just off the shores of Hobyo town in northeastern Somalia. (Mohamed Dahir/AFP/Getty Images)

Somali pirates have hijacked a cargo vessel off the coast of Yemen on Monday. The vessel, with 24 crew members on board, was boarded and hijacked just 15 km (9.32 miles) off the coast.

NATO’s counterpiracy operation in the region said in a statement that the hijackers are sailing the vessel toward the Somali coast. Other ships in the region were urged by the anti-piracy mission to “operate at a heightened state of readiness,” and to hold “strict 24 hour anti-piracy visual and radar watches.”

Despite dozens of warships in the vast region as part of an EU naval force to curb piracy, the amount of attacks by pirates doubled last year.