A Comoros-registered cargo ship is missing off Somalia with 14 Indian crew aboard and a Kenyan maritime official said Tuesday he feared it had been seized by pirates.
Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the MV Jaikur II, owned by Al Rashid Shipping Dubai went missing while sailing on Somali waters from Kenya.
"The vessel left Mombasa a week ago with 14 Indians headed for Somalia but its missing on Somali waters. We fear the pirates might have seized it," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone.
If confirmed, the MV Jaikur II would be the fourth vessel being held by pirates this year in one of the world's most dangerous waterways, Xinhua reported.
The surge in attacks has prompted Western warships to establish a security corridor in the gulf patrolled by an international coalition of warships.
Piracy is rife off Somalia, which has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre in 1991.