A band of armed pirates seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia on Sunday, Greece's merchant marine ministry said.
Officials at the Ministry of Merchant Marine told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa that the Maltese-flagged ship "Saldanha", with 22 crew, was loaded with coal and was heading towards Slovenia when pirates seized the ship off Somalia, dpa reported.
Shipping routes off the coasts of eastern and western Africa have become increasingly dangerous in recent months, especially in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Cameroon and Nigeria.
Dozens of ships seized by pirates have been eventually released after owners end up paying tens of millions of dollars in ransom.
In January, pirates seized another Greek vessel off the coast of Cameroon and killed its captain.
NATO ships began anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia at the end of 2008 but despite their efforts have not been successful in stopping pirates.
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