Chemical ship hijacked off Yemen

Pirates have seized a Turkish chemical tanker off the coast of Yemen, Turkish maritime officials say.

The tanker, the Karagol, was hijacked 26km (16 miles) off the coast of Yemen on its way to India.

It was carrying 4,500 tonnes of unspecified chemicals and was manned by a 14-member Turkish crew.

There have been dozens of attacks and hijackings in the Gulf of Aden this year, making it one of the most dangerous sea routes in the world.

On Monday, Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with 21 Filipino crew members on board.

On 29 October, a ship carrying iron ore was hijacked and a ransom demanded for its return.

Foiled attempt

Earlier today, the Russian navy said Russian and British ships repelled a pirate attack on the Danish Ship, the Powerful, in waters off Somalia.

It said the Russian frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless) and the British frigate Cumberland foiled pirates who fired automatic weapons at the ship and twice tried to seize it.

Russia dispatched the Fearless, armed with missiles and carrying a crew of around 200, to the region in September after pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter with tanks and Russian sailors on board.

Pirates are still holding the Ukrainian ship MV Faina off the Somali coast for a ransom of $20m (£12m).

Dozens of ships, mainly merchant vessels, have been seized off Somalia's 3,700km (2,300 mile) coastline in recent years, despite the presence of Western warships in the region.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says 63 of 199 incidents of piracy worldwide recorded in the first nine months of this year had taken place off eastern Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.