Ship carrying 20 Americans hijacked off Somalia

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Pirates near Somalia's coastline attacked a cargo ship Wednesday with a crew of at least 20 US nationals, according to the company that owns the vessel, reports CNN.
It is believed that the US-flagged Maersk Alabama was subsequently hijacked, according to a statement from Maersk Line Ltd. If so, it would be the sixth hijacking over the past week.
The vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya when it was attacked about 500 kilometers (310 miles) off Somalia's coast, the statement said.
US government sources said the incident happened at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time. The nearest US Navy warship was about 300 nautical miles away at the time, they said. On Tuesday, the US Navy issued another notice warning mariners that the Somali piracy activity was extending hundreds of miles offshore.
The cargo ship was owned and operated by a Maersk subsidiary in Norfolk, Virginia, Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard said. He would not provide any details about the security arrangements on board the Maersk Alabama.
He said the company is in the process of contacting the crew members' relatives and setting up assistance for them.
No action has been taken so far against the pirates, according to a spokesman for the US military's 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
He said US-flagged ships are not normally escorted by the military, unless they request it from the US Navy.
Recent attacks off Somalia's coast, which have taken place south of the area patrolled by US and coalition ships, shows pirates are changing their tactics and taking advantage of tens of thousands of square miles of open water where fewer military ships patrol, according to US military officials.
Coalition ships mainly patrol in the busy sea lanes of the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and northern Somalia as ships come out of and head toward the mouth of the Red Sea.