NAIROBI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Pirates have hijacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier in the latest spate of piracy incidents in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen, a regional maritime official said on Sunday.

Andrew Mwangura, East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said he has not established the composition of the crewmembers onboard the Panama-flagged vessel.

“The Red Sea Spirit was hijacked on Thursday but we received reports late on Saturday. I am yet to establish the nationalities and the number of the crew members on board and the destination of the vessel,” Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa.

The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. About 25,000 ships use the channel south of Yemen, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Piracy has become rampant off the coast of Africa, especially in the waters near Somalia, which has been without an effective government since 1991.

Ransoms started out in the tens of thousands of dollars and have since climbed into the millions. Somalia is at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping channels.

The country has been plagued by factional fighting between warlords and hasn't had a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohammed Siad Barre.