Somali pirates seize Thai ships

Mogadishu, 21 April-(ANA)-Somali pirates have seized three Thai fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean in what the EU Naval Force said was the furthest off-shore attack to date.

The three vessels, carrying a total of 77 crew members, were hijacked on Sunday, an EU force spokesman said.

He said that the attack took place far outside the area in which the EU force operated, about 1,200 nautical miles (2,222km) from the Somali coast.

The pirates were said to be taking the fishing boats back to Somalia.

"It's the furthest east that any attack and any hijacking has taken place, certainly since Eunavfor arrived in the area in December 2008," spokesman Cmdr John Harbour said.

All the crew on board the three ships, the MV Prantalay 11, 12, and 14, are reported to be Thai.

In recent years, pirates have seized dozens of ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

They have recently expanded the reach of their attacks to avoid European and American patrols off the Somali coast.(ANA)

FA/ANA/21 April 2010------