NAIROBI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Somali pirates have hijacked an Indian dhow with 16 crews onboard in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden waters, a regional maritime official confirmed on Saturday.

    Andrew Mwangura, the East Africa coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the dhow was seized on Friday as it left the north coast port of Bossaso sailing towards the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    "The Indian dhow was hijacked by Somali pirates on Friday, about 14 nautical miles from the port of Bosaso. The dhow has 16 crew members, all Indians," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa.

    Reports said the vessel was hijacked by the pirates after it had discharged goods from the UAE at the Somali harbor from where it was sailing off.

    The Indian dhow operates frequently between Saudi-Arabia and the African coast and Somalia's Puntland government has already dispatched a security order to re-capture the vessel.

    Suspected Somali pirates have seized a Turkish ship with 23 crew members on board in the latest incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, a regional maritime official confirmed on Wednesday.

    The hijack came barely after Turkish-flagged Horizon-1 was carrying sulfate from Saudi Arabia to Jordan was seized by unknown pirates early on Wednesday.

    The Horizon 1 was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Jordan with 23 crew members on board.

    The maritime official said it was very rare for the pirates to attack commercial vessels during this season due to monsoon winds.

    The latest attacks came as Somali gunmen continue to defy foreign navies patrolling the Indian Ocean waters and have collected large ransoms from shipping companies.

    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.

    An estimated 25,000 ships annually cruise the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's northern coast. Over 10 ships and 200 crew members are still held by Somali pirates.

    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.