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Somali pirates capture Yemeni vessel

04 May 2010 23:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A Yemeni cargo ship has been captured by Somali pirates off the southern coast of the country, the website of Yemen’s Defense Ministry has announced, APA reports quoting presstv.ir web-page.

According to the report released on Tuesday, there were nine Yemeni sailors on board the ship.

The Yemeni Interior Ministry confirmed that the vessel was seized after it set sail from the port of Mukalla for the port of Aden.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s coast guard released information indicating that the ship was being held at a northern Somali port.

The Yemeni Defense Ministry said that efforts were underway to free the ship.

In recent years, Somali pirates have stepped up their attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is an important corridor for more than 20,000 vessels sailing between Asia, Europe and the Americas every year.