Somali pirates seized an empty Yemeni oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday and two pirates were killed in clashes as the Yemeni coast guard tried to free the vessel, a Yemeni government official said. The official said three pirates and two Yemeni coast guards were also wounded in the exchange and four of the estimated 16 Somali pirates were arrested.
The tanker, Qana, can carry 3,000 tonnes but was not carrying a cargo when it was seized off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula country, the official told Reuters. The vessel has a 23-strong crew, of which three are Indian and the rest Yemenis. The pirates had seized three other vessels briefly before Yemeni forces freed them earlier on Sunday, the official said, adding that Yemeni forces were using helicopters to free the Qana, held about 10 miles off the port of Belhaf.
Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia, is a small producer of oil and exports 200,000 barrels per day. Also on Sunday, an Italian ship used guns and a firehouse to beat off an attack by pirates off the east African coast, the vessel's captain said.
Pirates have increased raids on ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, a key shipping lane for oil and cargo, since February. Better weather has allowed them to hijack more vessels and take more hostages despite foreign navies patrolling off the coast of Somalia.
On Sunday pirates freed the Yemeni-owned Sea Princess II tanker that had been captive since January 2. The London-based IMB watchdog said piracy incidents nearly doubled in the first quarter of 2009, almost entirely due to Somalia and there were 18 attacks off its coast in March alone. Pirates have made millions of dollars from seizing ships and taking crews hostage.
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