Somalia: Pirates hijack another vessel

(SomaliNet) A government official said on Thursday Somali pirates had hijacked yet another ship and were taking it and a French yacht with two French nationals on board to their remote coastal base.

Gunmen from the Horn of Africa nation are holding about 10 vessels for ransom at Eyl, a lawless former fishing outpost now used by gangs behind a sharp rise in attacks at sea.

\"The pirates are sailing to Eyl with the French yacht and another Egyptian ship that they hijacked last night,\" Hassan Muse Alore, the minister of minerals in northern Somalia\'s Puntland region, said.

He had no details on the Egyptian ship, but said he was visiting the area to check on reports that another of the hijacked vessels - an Iranian bulk carrier - had arms on board.

\"We are now with local elders and still investigating the matter,\" he said, without elaborating.

Heavily armed gangs have seized at least 30 vessels in the Gulf of Aden so far this year, making the shipping lanes between Somalia and Yemen the most dangerous in the world.

On Tuesday night, pirates had seized a French yacht with two French citizens on board, the French foreign ministry said.

A United Nations Security Council resolution in June gave France the right to pursue the pirates into Somali waters, but the ministry said it had to consider the best way to save the hostages.

In April, French commandos launched a helicopter raid to arrest six Somali pirates after they freed the 30-strong crew of a luxury yacht they had hijacked days earlier.

French navy spokesperson Christophe Prazuck said on Thursday that the country\'s military forces based in neighbouring Djibouti would readily intervene once it could guarantee the safety of the captives.

\"The frigate Courbet is in the Gulf of Aden as part of the multinational Task Force 150, made up of 12 vessels, that is patrolling in the Gulf of Aden to deter piracy,\" he said.

\"One thing at a time. Today we have to remain discreet in order to ensure the safety of our fellow countrymen.\"

Somali pirates are demanding a ransom of more than $9-million (R70-million) to free two Malaysian tankers, a Japanese-managed bulk carrier and a Nigerian tug boat held near Eyl.

Somali regional officials say the hefty ransoms paid out by ship owners are fuelling corruption and an explosion of piracy offshore.

\"We have no power to control the multiplying numbers of pirates,\" said Ahmed Saed Ow-Nur, Puntland\'s minister of fisheries and marine resources.

\"Even some of the Puntland police are involved in piracy because they can make a hell of a lot of money,\" he said. - Reuters