EU Naval forces announce that British-flagged ship Asian Glory has been taken "off Somalia" and "The nationality of the pirates was unclear, because the hijacking happened outside of the force's operations area." (CNN, 1/2/10)"ASIAN GLORY (a vehicle carrier) owned by ZODIAC Maritime Agency, was hijacked in the Somali Basin approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 600 miles from the coast of Somalia." (defpro.com)
The ship's crew includes 25 crew members "eight Bulgarian, 10 Ukrainian, five Indian, two Romanian," a Bulgarian state spokesman said. (Reuters)
Asian Glory was carrying 2,300 Korean-made cars bearing Kia and Hyundai badges. The ship was crewed by "10 Ukrainians, eight Bulgarians, five Indians and two Romanians." (BBC)