Armed pirates attacked and seized two industrial vessels

Armed pirates attacked and seized two industrial vessels off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden on 21 August 2008. Authorities stated that the pirates first took control of an Iranian bulk container ship before seizing a Japanese vessel nearby. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported that there has been no contact with the pirates onboard the two ships and an international naval force is being dispatched to the area. A coalition of naval ships from the U.S. and Western Europe has been patrolling the waters in the Gulf of Aden to respond to such hijacking incidents.