Somali pirates seize two more

Somali pirates have seized two more ships.

The latest reported vessels to fall victim are the the Maltese-flag, 1977 built bulker Centauri, operated by Navigation Maritime of Athens and the1998-built Hong Kong registered bulk carrier Great Eastern.

The Centauri, with a crew of 25, is thought to have been attacked late Wednesday or early on Thursday. It was expected to call at Mombasa on September 19 and discharge 17,000 tonnes of bulk salt, Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Association told Reuters.

It was taken off Mogadishu in Southern Somalia--a possible indication that the pirates could be looking for prey further south as international naval efforts against them are stepped up in the Gulf of Aden.

The Great Creation was reportedly taken early on Thursday en route to Pipavav, India from Tunisia with 24 Chinese crew and a Sri Lankan master on board.