The European Union Naval Force said on Sunday that the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier MV Sinin had 13 Iranians and 10 Indians onboard when it came under attack on Saturday.
The ship subsequently lost communications and a maritime patrol aircraft photographed two skiffs onboard the vessel. The MV Sinin was taken about 560 km east of Masirah in Oman.
In a separate incident, a Danish warship freed a hijacked fishing vessel and arrested 16 suspected Somali pirates, NATO said.
The HDMS Esbern Snare stopped a suspicious vessel with two skiffs on the deck. The warship fired warning shots and sent a boarding party to the hijacked Yemeni vessel. NATO said there were 16 suspected pirates and two Yemeni hostages onboard.
The original fishing crew of nine people had been held for a year but most of them had been released. Sometimes owners of small vessels without insurance are unable to raise the ransoms demanded by the pirates. Somalia has not had a functioning government in two decades, and piracy has flourished off its coast.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks