Nairobi, November 25
Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni ship loaded with steel in the Gulf of Aden, officials said today, a day after local sources said the gang holding a Saudi supertanker were demanding a 15 million dollar ransom.
Scores of attacks this year have brought the pirates millions of dollars in ransoms, hiked up shipping insurance costs, sent foreign navies rushing to the area, and left about a dozen boats with more than 200 hostages still in pirate hands.
Yemen's official SABA news agency said the MV Adina was travelling from Mukalla port to the southern island of Socotra and had been due to dock on November 20 with 507 tonnes of steel.
Yemeni security sources said the authorities were in touch with the pirates, who were demanding a 2 million dollar ransom.
— Reuters
