Somali Pirates Seize German Ship, 11 Crew

Somali pirates have hijacked a German cargo ship carrying a crew of 11 in the Gulf of Aden, the latest seizure by high-seas bandits who are holding hundreds of merchant mariners hostage, the AP reports.The MV Victoria was captured yesterday 75 miles south of Yemen. There is no information on the condition of the Romanian crew aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship.

About 250 sailors from countries around the world being held hostage in the Gulf of Aden and directly off Somalia's eastern coast. An international flotilla of warships has been patrolling nearby waters, and has halted many attacks, but experts say the area is simply too vast to stop all pirate attacks. On Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for the creation of an international piracy court. (More Germany stories.)