Pirates on Wednesday hijacked a Malta-flagged cargo ship carrying a crew of 15 Georgians and three Turks in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, the European Union's anti-piracy mission said.
A US warship deployed a helicopter to check on the ship after several unsuccessful attempts to make contact with the Olib G, a 6,375-tonne vessel that was carrying a cargo of ballast, the EU mission said in a statement.
"The helicopter was able to identify two pirates on board," the EU Naval Force Somalia said.
The ship had been sailing west in the internationally recommended transit corridor, an area where international navies coordinate the patrol of maritime transits, the statement said.
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