Pirates seize Malaysian ship in Indian Ocean: Navfor

BRUSSELS: Suspected Somali pirates seized a Malaysian freighter and its crew last week in the Indian Ocean, taking the number of hostages currently held past the 500 mark, the European Union said Monday.

The EU anti-piracy naval force Navfor said the container-ship Albedo was captured approximately 900 nautical miles (1,660 kilometres) from Mogadishu early Friday.

"The MV Albedo is Malaysian-flagged and owned, with a crew of 23 (Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Iranian)," a Navfor statement said. "The vessel was carrying containers and was bound for Mombasa from Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)."

Including the Albedo, pirates are currently holding 22 vessels with 521 hostages, Navfor said.

Piracy has long been a problem in the Indian Ocean off Somalia, where the lack of a functioning government over most of the last 15 years has allowed its vast coastline to be turned into a perfect refuge for criminal gangs.