Pirates have hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third off the coast of Somalia
The latest ship captured by pirates in the last 24 hours is the MV Irene, a 35,000-tonne Greek-operated merchant vessel captured yesterday and carrying a crew of 22 Filipinos.
A US owned vessel also came under attack this morning, but the vessel escaped and is now under is now under naval escort.
The crew of the Liberty Sun were unharmed in the incident but the vessel sustained damage.
The owners, Liberty Maritime, said the ship was carrying US food aid for African nations and was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, from Houston in the US.
The ship immediately requested help from the US Navy, which sent forces, a statement said.
Elsewhere, pirates have released a Greek cargo ship with a 24-man crew seized on 19 March in the Gulf of Aden.
The St Vincent-flagged Titan had a cargo of iron and was sailing from the Black Sea to South Korea when it was seized.
Pirates attacked at least 15 vessels off the coast of Somalia last month after only two ships were attacked in January and February.
Pirates currently hold close to 300 crewmen in total. The largest national contingent is from the Philippines, accounting for more than 120 of the hostages.
The longest-running hijacking is that of the Nigerian tugboat Yenegoa Ocean and its 11-member crew, who have been held for eight-and-a-half months.
