Somali pirates have captured a Saudi tanker with 14 crew members onboard in the Gulf of Aden, agencies reported on Wednesday.

The tanker Al Nisr Al Saudi was empty when it was taken by pirates on Monday. The nationality of the crew members remained unclear so far, but they were believed to be safe, the reports said.

The development came after a regional maritime official confirmed last Sunday that Somali pirates have released a Greek- owned Panama-registered cargo ship which was hijacked in December last year.

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 millions.

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

Meanwhile, Gunbattles in the Somali capital of Mogadishu have killed at least nine people, according to the reports on Wednesday.

The exchange of gunfire erupted since last Tuesday between insurgents and forces of the Somali government when the government troops moved into an neighborhood held by the rebel groups in the war-ravaged capital. More than 30 people were wounded in the clashes and taken to hospital.