Three British security guards on a chemical tanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia have escaped by jumping overboard, reports say.
Pirates seized the Liberian-flagged Biscaglia in the Gulf of Aden - the 97th vessel to be attacked in the area this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, reported Skynews.
On board the oil and chemical tanker were 27 crew members, including 25 Indians and two Bangladeshi nationals.
Reports said a warship on patrol in the region sent helicopters to intervene in the attack and collected the British men from the Gulf.
There was no further word on their condition or that of the crew left on the vessel.
There are 18 ships currently held by Somali pirates, including the super-tanker Sirius Star, hijacked on November 15.
Its captors are demanding a ransom of $25m by November 30.
One of the two Britons being detained with the tanker said earlier this week the crew were being treated well.
"Hopefully we are going to get some more phone calls to our families soon. Our families don't have too much to worry about at the moment," chief engineer Peter French told ITN news.
The latest hijacking also comes as pirates reportedly released the Maltese-flagged Greek ship MV Centauri, which was captured in September in the Indian Ocean.
Nato-led security operations in the Gulf have been stepped up this year in effort to protect the key maritime corridor leading to the Suez Canal.