Cosco bulker nabbed by Somali pirates

Beijing: The 76,432 dwt Chinese panamax De Xin Hai, belonging to Cosco Qingdao, has been hijacked some 550 miles north east of the Seychelles, 550 miles from the Somali coast. According to the EU naval task force, there are thought to be 25 crew on board the vessel. EU NAVFOR forces are monitoring the ship's progress. The ship was not registered with the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa, according to a task force statement. [20/10/09]