Somalis storm hijacked United Arab Emirates ship

The men from the semi-autonomous region defeated the pirates after "brief fighting", the mayor of the region's Bosasso port told Reuters news agency.

Seven pirates were arrested in the incident a day after the Al-Khaleej was hijacked, local officials said.

Pirates also seized a Spanish fishing boat in the area at the weekend.

At least three people were wounded in the incident, although the ship's crew were unhurt, local reports said.

The ship was hijacked en-route to Bosasso on Monday.

Notorious area

The incident is the latest in a spate of pirate raids on vessels in Somali coastal waters, some of the most hazardous in the world.

A Spanish naval frigate is now heading for the area where pirates seized a Spanish tuna trawler with 26 crew on board

The captain of the trawler - contacted by Spanish radio - said the crew were "all well". The Somali pirates have demanded a ransom.