By Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Somali pirates who hijacked a Japanese-owned chemical tanker last month are negotiating a ransom for its release, a maritime official said on Monday.

Discussions about the demand and how it might be paid were being held through go-betweens in Singapore and Malaysia, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.

Ransoms are usually determined by the value of the ship, the nationalities of the crew and what cargo it was transporting.

"Transferring money to Mogadishu is very risky," Mwangura told Reuters. "The parties have to work out how the money will be collected by the hijackers."

The Panama-registered Golden Nori was carrying benzene from Singapore to Israel when it was seized on Oct. 28 some eight nautical miles off Somalia in one of the world's most dangerous shipping lanes.

It had 23 sailors from Myanmar, the Philippines and South Korea onboard. Their condition was not known, but Mwangura said his group was investigating reports that one South Korean crew member had managed to escape from the vessel and return home.

Piracy has been rife off Somalia since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

Mwangura said he expected attacks at sea to worsen due to fighting in and around Mogadishu, which has forced shipping into more pirate-infested waters away from the capital.

Last week, Somali pirates freed two South Korean ships and a Taiwanese vessel they captured in May. Mwangura said the freed Taiwanese ship was expected to dock in Mombasa on Nov. 14th.

In addition to the Golden Nori, pirates are still believed to be holding a Comoros-registered cargo ship. (Editing by Katie Nguyen)

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