Somali pirates seize German grain carrier

Somali pirates have seized a 31,000-tonne German grain carrier in the Gulf of Aden but the ship's 17 crew members are unhurt, a Kenyan maritime official said on Saturday.

"I hear it was taken early this morning," said Andrew Mwangura, director of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme.

Piracy attacks off the eastern African coast have escalated in the past few weeks despite the presence of a flotilla of foreign navy warships in the region.

Sea gangs there are holding more than 250 hostages and have made millions of dollars through ransoms, driving up insurance costs. Some shipping lines now opt to use a longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid capture.