Armed pirates have hijacked two South Korean fishing vessels off the coast of Somalia in the latest surge in piracy in the Horn of African nation, a maritime official confirmed in Nairobi on Wednesday.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the Mombasa-based Seafarers Assistance Program said the Yemen-bound fishing trawlers christened Mavuno I and Mavuno II were hijacked on Tuesday about 210 nautical miles (about 389 km) from the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The first vessel has 10 crew members while the second has 12 crew members, Mwangulra said by telephone from Mombasa.

The incident occurred at position 01 20N/049E. No ransom has been demanded yet, he added.

Mwangura said the Tanzanian-flagged vessels left Kenyan port city of Mombasa last Friday en route to Yemen.

He said the new wave of attacks has badly shaken merchant shipping which relies heavily on key international trade routes that snake down Somalia's coastline, Africa's longest.

Piracy is rampant in Somalia. The global maritime body warned that the Horn of African nation's coastline is one of the most dangerous in the world.

Source: Xinhua