Somali Pirates Hijack Ships in Guld of Aden, Indian Crew Members Aboard

Two ships, one with Indian crew members, have been seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The UK-flagged tanker, St James Park, is the first merchant vessel to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in nearly six months.

The ship, that set sail from Terragona, Spain, was on its way for Thailand. As many as 26 crew members – belonging to India, the Philippines, Russia, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland and Turkey – were aboard the tanker

The waters off Somalia are teeming with pirates who have hijacked dozens of ships for multimillion-dollar ransoms in the past two years.

An international naval force now patrols the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.