**Somali pirates have hijacked a UK-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden, officials say.**The St James Park was captured on Monday while on its way to Thailand from Spain, said the Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Programme.
Its 26 crew hail from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Georgia, India, Turkey and the Philippines.
Pirate attacks have been common off the Somali coast and international navies have been deployed to counter them.
The St James Park had issued a distress call on Monday night saying it had been attacked by pirates, said the International Maritime Bureau.
The tanker, which was carrying a cargo of chemicals used to make plastics, had changed course and was now heading towards the northern coast of Somalia, said Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance Programme.
“It is expected to arrive there later this evening,” Mr Mwangura told AFP news agency.
The waters around Somalia are among the most dangerous in the world.
Correspondents say the upsurge in piracy in the region is a consequence of the failure to find a solution to Somalia’s continuing political disarray.