New York - The UN Security Council Monday Tuesday appeared close to authorizing states to enter Somalia's territorial waters to "repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea" as pirates got bolder with more seizures of ships last week.

The authorization would be good for six months. States would have to cooperate with the transitional government in Mogadishu, which admitted it was helpless in fighting piracy off its coasts. The authorization would apply only to the situation in Somalia.

The draft resolution expected to be adopted by the 15-nation council, possibly as early as Tuesday afternoon, says that states will have to notify the Somali government before taking any action against the pirates and entering Somali waters.

African maritime officials said Somali pirates last week seized three cargo ships flagged to Gibraltar, Turkey and the Netherlands.

Piracy is rife off the Somali coast, which is close to key shipping routes. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says 31 hijackings and attempted hijackings were reported last year.

The text of the draft UN resolution says states could enter territorial waters of Somalia "for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with such action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under relevant international law."

States could use "all necessary means" to fight piracy, the draft says.

In the draft, the council would proclaim that acts of piracy off the Somali coasts and on the high seas have become threats to international peace and security in the region. It would invoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter to authorize the fight against piracy, which in fact allows states to use force.

It says naval vessels and military aircraft of states operating on the high seas and airspace off the coast of Somalia would have to be "vigilant" of piracy acts and armed robbery and try to deter those acts.

It would urge states to cooperate with each other and with the International Maritime Organization, share information about acts of piracy and provide assistance to vessels threatened by or under attack by pirates or armed robberies.

Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that pirates on Wednesday captured the Gibraltar-flagged MV Lehmann Timber, which is run by Germany's Kehdingerland GmbH, and the Turkey-flagged MV Arean.

No information on demands from the pirates, the ships' crews or their cargo was available.

Mwangura said the two ships were captured in the same area as Dutch cargo ship MV Amiya Scan, which was seized on Sunday along with its nine Russian and Filipino crew.

In April, pirates captured a luxury French yacht and attempted to ransom its crew members. French troops recovered the hostages and captured six of the pirates, although another six are believed to have escaped.

The IMB on Wednesday issued an alert for the region, warning that pirates were using automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades to stop ships. The body has also advised vessels not scheduled to call on Somali ports keep at least 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast. (dpa)