-- Iran is making great diplomatic efforts to release crew of its bulk carrier which was hijacked in the Aden Gulf off the coast of Somalia.

Armed pirates on Thursday hijacked an Iranian bulk carrier with 29 crew and a Japanese-operated chemical tanker with 19 crew within an hour in the Gulf of Aden in an unprecedented spate of attacks, Noel Choong, head of the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre had earlier said.According to Choong, the pirates opened fire on the Iranian carrier before boarding it.""We are trying to use diplomatic means to release sailors of the hijacked Iranian ship which was carrying 40,000 tons of iron ore from China to the Netherlands,"" Managing Director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) Mohammad-Hossein Dajmar said Saturday.The pirates have made no request yet in return for the release of the crew, he noted adding that the Iranian sailors are in good health conditions.Two German and Malaysian cargo ships were also hijacked in the same area later in the day.Somalia is the world's biggest piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in the first half of this year. There has been a sharp increase in piracy attacks in the region since the start of this year.The impoverished country has not had a functioning government since 1991 and pirates frequently seize foreign vessels for ransom, making it difficult and expensive to deliver aid to the region. (Source: Press TV)