AFR: Pirates seize Italians on tug as US ships converge
12 Apr 2009 2:06 AM
BRUSSELS, April 11 AP - NATO says Italian officials are trying to negotiate the release of 10 citizens on a tug seized off north Somalia with 16 crew.
Shona Lowe, a spokeswoman at NATO's Northwood maritime command centre, confirmed that the tugboat was hijacked on Saturday morning in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's northern coast when it was towing barges.
She confirmed that 10 of the 16 crew are Italian nationals, adding that Italian government officials and the company that owns the vessel are involved in trying to secure their release.
The hijacking took place as the American captain of the US-flagged Maersk Alabama was still being held hostage on a lifeboat being watched by two US warships.
