News of the operation came after a US captain made an unsuccessful overnight bid to escape from another seized vessel off Somalia.

BBC: Frenchman dies in Somalia rescue

The vessel was seized by Israeli forces in international waters in the Red Sea early on Thursday and is being held in the port of Eilat.

BBC: Arms ship captain acted 'under orders'

He said the company has heard nothing from the pirates themselves and had no information on how the vessel had been seized.

CNN: Pirates hijack German-owned ship in Gulf of Aden

The Yemeni tugboat was captured on Sunday, a day after the 20, 000-tonne German container vessel, the Hansa Stavanger, was seized.

BBC: Somali pirates seize more vessels

The vessel, which was carrying food aid, was seized by the four pirates in April 2009.

BBC: Somali man pleads guilty to seizing US merchant ship

The U.S. Coast Guard reportedly seized nearly 15, 000 pounds of cocaine from a submarine-like vessel off the Caribbean coast of Honduras on July 13th.

FORBES: Coast Guard Seizes Submarine Stuffed with Cocaine