CAIRO — Somali pirates seized an Egyptian cargo ship and its 28 crew members Thursday while a Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked in the new year’s first attacks by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
Fifteen armed pirates snatched the Blue Star after the ship exited the Red Sea and entered the gulf, carrying 6,000 tons of fertilizer, according to Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Rizq.
The pirates then steered the ship toward the coast of Somalia, Rizq said. He said contacts were underway with “international and regional parties” to get the ship released.
In the other attack Thursday, a Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker carrying a full load of oil when it was attacked by two skiffs, one of which carried seven pirates dressed in military-style uniforms, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center.
