BERLIN (AP) — The German army says pirates have seized a German freight ship off the coast of Kenya.
The attack came less than 24 hours after a tanker from Singapore carrying 17 crew members was captured by pirates off Kenya.
Somali pirates have long been active in the region, and they currently are holding 19 vessels with 428 hostages, according to the EU Naval Force.
A spokesman for the German army says the Beluga Fortune freight ship was seized Sunday morning about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) east of the Kenyan city of Mombasa.
The German news agency dapd says the German shipping company Beluga-Reederei owns the vessel and that it has an unknown number of German citizens aboard.