'New demands' from Somali pirates

The ship is carrying food for Somali victims of the tsunami

Pirates who seized a UN-chartered ship carrying tsunami aid to Somalia have issued fresh ransom demands, the owners of the vessel say.

The MV Semlow and its crew were due to be returned earlier this week.

But a director of the Mombasa-based Mokatu shipping agency, Karim Kudrati, said the hijackers had made new demands, which it could not pay.

The ship was captured at the end of June east of the capital, Mogadishu, as it sailed from Mombasa in Kenya.

It was carrying food for victims of last year's Indian Ocean tsunami, near the port of Bossaso.

News of a deal emerged last weekend, raising hopes for the safe return of the MV Semlow, its 10-strong crew and the 850 tons of rice it is carrying within days.

Under the reported agreement, the food was to be distributed to communities in central Somalia, including the home area of the pirates.

The hijackers had initially demanded $500,000 in ransom, but the World Food Programme - which chartered the ship - says no money was paid.

The crew comprises eight Kenyans, a Tanzanian and their Sri Lankan captain.

WFP provides an average of 3,000 tons of aid a month to 275,000 people in Somalia.

But its work is hampered by concerns over security.

The country has had no functioning national government since 1991.

The waters off the Somali coast are among the most dangerous in the world, the International Maritime Board says.