A Polish captain is among seventeen crew on the Patriot, ship seized by terrorists near Somali coast, Poland’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday.

The Maltese-flagged, German-owned MV Patriot was hijacked at the eastern end of the Gulf of Aden on Saturday. The vessel is carrying 31,000-tonnes of grain.

The spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  promised that all efforts will be made to secure the safe release of the captain and his crew.

The Sirus Star, kidnapped by Somali pirates last November, was also captained by a Pole.

Pirate attacks off the eastern African coast have escalated in the past few weeks despite the presence of a flotilla of foreign navy warships in the region.

Sea gangs are presently holding more than 250 hostages and have made millions of dollars through ransoms, driving up insurance costs. Some shipping lines now opt to use a longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid capture. (wg/pg)