Ten crew members of a ship have been taken hostage by Somali gunmen as it delivered relief food to tsunami survivors in the troubled Horn of Africa country, Kenyan media reported on Friday.

According to local newspaper Daily Nation, carrying 850 tons of rice from the World Food Program (WFP), the ship, Semlow, was hijacked on Tuesday by pirates demanding 500,000 US dollars to free the crew, who include eight Kenyans, a Sri Lankan captain and a Tanzanian engineer.

WFP officials said on Thursday they had contacted Somali clan elders to negotiate the release of the ship, its cargo and crew, who, they added, were safe.

"We're urging local leaders and elders to allow the boat to go on with its journey," WFP spokesperson Rende McGuffin said.

"It is against international humanitarian law to hinder the passage of humanitarian assistance and there is no justification for hijacking," said the spokesperson.

The WFP country director for Somalia Robert Hauser, said the organization had asked local authorities and community elders to intervene in the incident, which occurred in the Indian Ocean, north-east of Mogadishu.

The water around lawless Somalia is some of the world's most dangerous, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Piracy is common along the Somali coast, several ships having been attacked in the past. Valuables are usually stolen and crews held for ransom.

Source: Xinhua