Somali pirates have hijacked a second ship chartered by chemical tanker shipping group Stolt-Nielsen, a regional maritime official said yesterday.

Gunmen seized the Stolt Strength in the Gulf of Aden on Monday afternoon, nearly two months after they hijacked Stolt Valor, a chemical tanker on its way to India.

"The ship was en route to Kandla, India from Senegal and was carrying phosphoric acid," said Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, which monitors piracy.

Somali pirates also tried to seize another ship on Monday, a reefer flying the Saudi Arabian flag, but failed, Mr Mwangura said.

Piracy off Somalia has made the shipping lanes sealane linking the Middle East Gulf and Asia to Europe and beyond via the Suez Canal one of the most dangerous in the world.

Hijackers took a ship managed by Danish company Clipper Group with 13 crew last week.

The International Maritime Bureau says 199 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy were reported worldwide from January to September this year, of which 63 were in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast.

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