Hong Kong ship with 22 crew hijacked near Somalia

Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau said on Tuesday that armed pirates hijacked a Hong Kong chemical tanker with 22 crew members in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia on Monday. He said the Hong Kong tanker, en route to Asia, was sailing in a maritime security corridor in the gulf patrolled by an international coalition of warships and aircraft when it was attacked. No other information was immediately available. Choong said all ships were urged to maintain a strict watch even in the security corridor.