Nairobi: 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 were being held through go-betweens in Singapore and Malaysia, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.

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

The Panama-registered Golden Nori was travelling from Singapore to Israel when it was seized on October 28, near the coast of Somalia.

It had 23 sailors from Myanmar, the Philippines and South Korea onboard.