20 Americans aboard seized vessel off Somalia: Maersk

COPENHAGEN: A US-flagged vessel belonging to the US subsidiary of Danish shipowner Maersk was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday with 20 Americans on board, Maersk said.

The container vessel Maersk Alabama "was attacked by pirates and presumed hijacked" at around 0500 GMT, the company said in a statement.

"The US flagged vessel has a crew of 20 US nationals and is owned and operated by Maersk Line, Limited in the US," it said.

The vessel was en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa when it was attacked some 500 kilometers (310 miles) off the Somali coast.