Pirates hijack ship with 29 Chinese sailors in Arabian Sea

Pirates hijacked a cargo ship with 29 Chinese sailors aboard in the Arabian Sea, Chinese officials and state media said Saturday.

The attack came just two days after another 17 Chinese sailors returned home after being held by Somali pirates for four months. It also highlights the spread of piracy to areas outside the Gulf of Aden, a hijacking hot spot now patrolled by international forces.

An official with the China Marine Rescue Center, surnamed Yang, said the Panama-flagged ship Yuan Xiang was attacked Friday night, according to The Associated Press.

The pirates told the shipping company that they were taking the ship to Somalia, the report said.

The hijacking occurred in an area not patrolled by international and Chinese naval forces in the Gulf of Aden, a region notorious for pirate attacks, The Sun Daily reports.