Yemeni vessel said hijacked off Aden

ADEN, Dec. 28 (Saba) - Somali pirates have hijacked a vessel owned by a Yemeni businessman, according to sources at the Aden-based Coastguard.

The vessel, Almahmoud 2, was attacked in sea after it left Aden port on December 18
with 15 crew members aboard and the African pirates took it and headed towards the
Indian
Ocean, according to the sources.
Other sources cited by media outlets noted that the vessel was fishing in Somalia's
waters.
According to official statistics there were about 41 hijackings of vessels in the
pirate-plagued Gulf of Aden this year. About 521 crew members were onboard the
ships.
In recent years, piracy has soared off Somalia, with pirates attacking more than
140 merchant vessels and ships in 2008 along with crews.
The surge threatening one of the world's busiest waterways where about 20.000 ships
pass a year was concerned by the world, triggering anti-piracy missions dispatched
to
the region.
In Yemen, a number of pirates went on trials, with some confessing to piracy and
attempting burglary against ships passing in the region.
FR