BOSASSO, Somalia, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Security forces from northern Somalia killed a pirate and wounded two others during a shoot-out on Sunday with hijackers aboard a Panama-flagged ship, a local government official said. One soldier was killed.

Ali Abdi Aware, state minister for the semi-autonomous Puntland region, said members of Puntland's coastguard exchanged fire with pirates on the Wail, which was seized by the Somali gunmen on Thursday as it carried cement to Bosasso from Oman.

"We killed one pirate and wounded two others. We also captured their two speed boats," Aware told Reuters. "The pirates are still on board the ship, which is surrounded by our forces. One of our soldiers died and another was wounded."

He gave no other details. There are thought to be nine Syrian and two Somali crew members on the vessel.

Somali pirates have hijacked more than 30 ships so far this year and received ransoms totalling up to $30 million.

In the highest profile case so far, ransom talks are continuing after they seized a Ukrainian vessel, the MV Faina, which was loaded with 33 T-72 tanks and other weaponry. (Reporting by Abdiqani Hassan; Writing by Daniel Wallis)

AlertNet news is provided by