Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Monday night hijacked a Greek cargo ship that had loaded phosphate fertilizer at the Port of Tampa in November and was headed for India.
Reports summarized from the Greek Coast Guard and ship owner Navios Maritime Partners said pirates seized the Navios Apollon and its Greek captain and 18 Filipino crew members. No details were available about the crew's safety.
About 10 armed pirates approached the ship in two or more boats and seized the ship at gunpoint, reports said. A spokeswoman for Navios in Greece had no further details Tuesday afternoon.
The ship loaded fertilizer in Tampa at Mosaic Co.'s Riverview facility on Nov. 13 and completed its loading on Nov. 17, before leaving the Port of Tampa on Nov. 20, port spokesman Andy Fobes said.
The hijacking followed by hours the seizure of a British-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
Pirates now hold 12 vessels and 263 crew members, according to The Associated Press.
Somali pirates have hijacked more than 80 ships in the past two years, and have collected millions of dollars in ransoms.
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