Pirates who seized two European-owned tankers yesterday, one of them being a Norwegian ship with a Polish crew on board, have demanded ransom, said spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Paszkowski.

He has added, however, that this report has yet to be verified, and that the amount of money is as yet unknown.

The captured vessel is a Norwegian tanker with a crew of 27, registered in the Bahamas. The second ship captured today by Somali pirates was Greek, holding a crew of 19 on board. The pirates gained control of the vessels on Thursday morning 300 miles off the coast of Somalia.

Last year alone Somali pirates captured over 130 vessels in what have become some of the world’s most dangerous waters. Piotr Paszkowski:

"These are people have lost their jobs, and means of earning money following the tsunami, which had hit the region several years ago, leaving their fishing boats destroyed. This is how the piracy began. The entire matter is also embedded within a political context - we know that the state authorities in Somalia remain weak. The country's police force is incapable of controlling coastal areas, where the pirates originate from."