(CNN) -- Somali pirates hijacked a South Korean fishing vessel near the coast of Kenya more than a week ago, an anti-piracy taskforce confirmed Sunday.
The "Golden Wave" -- also known by "Keummi 305" -- is now one of 19 vessels Somali pirates are currently holding by force, according to Operation Atalanta.
Pirates captured the ship October 9, Atalanta said in a press release.
It was fishing 10 miles off the coast of Lamu, Kenya, at the time, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, which sourced the country's foreign ministry.
The Keummi has 43 crew members, according to Yonhap. Two are from Korea, two from China and the remaining 39 are Kenyan, the report said.
Lamu lies on the north of the Kenyan coast and is near the border with Somalia.
Pirates have often justified the capture of fishing vessels as punishment for what they view as illegal fishing off its shores.
Pirates sometimes retain captured fishing boats to use as "mother ships" for piracy operations.
CNN
