The Defence Minister, Carme Chacón, has for the first time confirmed that the fishing vessel ‘Vega 5’, whose crew includes two Galicians, has been seized by Somali pirates.
The ‘Vega 5’, working in cooperation with Pescanova, has a crew of 24, nineteen from Mozambique, three from Indonesia and the two Spaniards. Contact with the vessel was lost on December 30th 2010.
Piracy is common in the area off the Somali coast and there are currently 28 vessels and 650 crew members affected by the situation.