Somali pirates seize Panama-flagged ship MV ORNA

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates on two skiffs seized the Panama-flagged merchant ship MV ORNA after firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel, the European Naval Force said on Monday.

The ship was stopped and boarded by at least four pirates about 400 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles. The crew, whose number was unknown, is cooperating and no damage is reported, the EU force said.

The MV ORNA is a bulk cargo vessel with a dead weight of 27,915 tonnes, owned by the United Arab Emirates.

Somali pirates are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing ships, including tankers and dry bulkers, in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, despite the efforts of foreign navies to clamp down on such attacks.

(Writing by James Macharia; editing by Mark Heinrich)