Somali pirates have hijacked yet another ship and are taking it and a French yacht with two French nationals onboard to their remote coastal base, a regional government official said on Thursday. Gunmen from the Horn of Africa nation are currently 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 for minerals in northern Somalia's Puntland region, told Reuters by telephone from Eyl. 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 onboard.
"We are now with local elders and still investigating the matter," he said, without elaborating. Heavily armed gangs have seized at least 30 vessels so far this year in the Gulf of Aden, making the shipping lanes between Somalia and Yemen the most dangerous in the world. Late on Tuesday, pirates seized a French yacht with two French citizens onboard, the French Foreign Ministry said.
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