Naval forces track HK-flagged ship off Somalia

HONG KONG (Reuters) - EU and NATO coalition naval forces in the Gulf of Aden are tracking a Hong Kong-flagged ship which was hijacked en route to Iran, an official said on Wednesday.

The bulk carrier Delight was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, the latest raid in the Horn of Africa's perilous waters.

A spokesman for the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur said coalition naval forces were "monitoring the hijacked ship at the moment."

The coalition established a maritime security patrol area around the Gulf, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, in August. In October, NATO ships joined the international naval effort, which also includes the European Union.

The Delight, with 25 crew, was captured off the Yemen coast on Wednesday and was headed for Somalia, an official at Hong Kong's Maritime Rescue Coordination Center told Reuters.

Hong Kong's marine department said the ship remained in pirate hands, but communications with the captured crew were still possible.

"The marine department is liaising closely with the manager of the ship ... we are still trying to check the latest situation onboard the ship," a Marine Department spokesman said while declining to give details on ransom or other demands.

In October, NATO states agreed to join efforts by other parties, including the European Union, in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Lloyd's List reported that the ship was a 1986-built, 43,218 dwt vessel operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line. The ship was carrying 36,000 tonnes of wheat to Iran's Bandar Abbas port. The 25 crew members are from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Iran and Guyana.

A supertanker with a $100 million cargo was seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean at the weekend. The Delight was the third ship sailing under a Hong Kong flag alone to be seized in the area this autumn.

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.

(Reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Nick Macfie)