YemenOnline-Nov 17,2008- A Japanese-owned chemical tanker was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, Japan's Foreign Ministry said, adding officials are trying to find out more information on the incident.

The 20,000 ton chemical tanker was seized on Nov. 15 off the coast of Yemen, Hiroshi Suzuki, the Foreign Ministry's assistant press secretary, said in a phone interview. The ministry is coordinating with other countries involved.

The ship is called the Chemstar Venus and has a crew of 18 Filipinos and 5 South Koreans, the Hokkaido Shimbun reported late yesterday. Iino Kaiun Kaisha Ltd., the owner of the ship, can't contact the vessel and is unable to confirm it was hijacked, Wataru Chomei, a general manager, said by telephone.

Pirate attacks climbed fivefold in the Gulf of Aden in the first nine months of this year as ransom payments spurred raiders to seize more ships, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

European Union member states on Nov. 10 agreed to send a fleet of warships to the region to combat pirate attacks in the world's most-dangerous seas. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and at least three nations have also deployed navy vessels in the region.

A Russian warship stopped an attempted hijacking by Somali pirates of a Saudi ship in the Gulf of Aden, military officials said yesterday, Agence France-Press reported.

Source : Bloomberg