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KUALA LUMPUR - Heavily armed pirates have seized a Philippines cargo ship off Somalia and taken 23 crew members hostage, a maritime watchdog said Tuesday.
"Pirates armed with semi-automatic weapons and RPGs successfully managed to attack and hijack the ship," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The nationality of the crew was not disclosed.
Choong said the incident brought the number of attacks in Somalia's waters to 83 this year, including 33 hijacks. Twelve vessels and more than 200 crew are still in the hands of pirates.
A Saudi Arabia-flagged refrigerated cargo ship was also attacked on Monday, about 250 nautical miles off Mogadishu in the eastern part of Somalia.
"It was chased and fired upon by pirates in two speed boats, armed with guns and RPGs. The ship made evasive manoeuvres and managed to escape," Choong told AFP.
"We have sent out an urgent warning to ships passing Somalia and transiting through the Gulf of Aden to take additional measures," he said, adding that coalition warships on anti-pirate patrols could not prevent every attack.
"The coalition warships patrol the area, but they cannot be everywhere at the same time. It's a very long and wide route," he said.
"But we have to give credit to the coalition because a lot of ships have escaped thanks to their efforts."
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