Somali pirates seized a Liberian cargo vessel almost 2,000 kilometres off the coast off Somalia, the European Union's anti-piracy force said.
The MV Renuar, carrying a 24-man Filipino crew, was taken Sunday 550 nautical miles (1,020 kilometres) from the Indian coast as the pirates range farther afield to avoid international warships patrolling shipping routes, DPA reported.
"Since the attack, the pirates have confirmed that they have control of the ship, which is now heading west towards the Somali Coast," the EU Naval Force Somalia, or EU NAVFOR, said.
EU NAVFOR said it had no information on the safety of the crew but said the pirates had carried out "several determined attacks," firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel.
The latest hijacking came after a busy week for the pirates, during which two ships were released and a further one taken.
The MV Panama and its crew of 23 from Myanmar were taken Friday close to the border of Tanzania and Mozambique - an attack EU NAVFOR called "a further example of the constantly expanding area of pirate activity."
The Greek-owned MV Eleni P - and its crew of 19 Filipinos, two Greeks, one Ukrainian and one Romanian - was released Saturday. Earlier in the week, the Saudi Arabian-flagged tanker MV Al Nisr Al Saudi was released.
Dozens of ships and hundreds of sailors are currently in the hands of Somali pirates, who can earn millions of dollars in ransom for the release of the vessels.
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