Pirates hijack Yemeni vessel in Gulf of Aden

Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni ship loaded with steel in the Gulf of Aden, officials said yesterday, a day after local sources said the gang holding a Saudi supertanker were demanding a $15 million ransom.

Scores of attacks this year have brought the pirates millions of dollars in ransoms, hiked up shipping insurance costs, sent foreign navies rushing to the area, and left about a dozen boats with more than 200 hostages still in pirate hands.

Yemen's official SABA news agency said the MV Adina was traveling from Mukalla port to the southern island of Socotra and had been due to dock last Thursday with 507 tons of steel.