Hong Kong grain ship hijacked by Somali pirates

By Emma Graham-Harrison

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Hong Kong ship loaded with wheat bound for Iran was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, maritime officials said, the latest raid in the Horn of Africa's perilous waters.

The Delight, with 25 crew members on board, was captured off the Yemen coast at around 6 a.m. GMT and is currently sailing towards Somalia, an official at Hong Kong's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre told Reuters by telephone.

"We know the ship is going to somewhere in Somalia," said the official, who declined to be identified because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

"We are in contact with the company security officer who is in contact with the ship," he added, but said he did not know of any ransom or other demands.

The raid came after a supertanker with a $100 million (66 million pound) cargo was seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean at the weekend, mocking a rush by NATO and the European Union to control piracy problems in one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Nearly two decades of conflict in Somalia have left it awash with arms and without a strong central authority to enforce the rule of law.

GUNS AND GRENADES

Using larger "mother ships" to increase their reach, the heavily armed pirates usually pull up on either side of a target in speedboats and board, firing guns or even rocket-propelled grenades just over the bridge if the captain tries to escape.