Somali pirates Sunday hijacked a St Vincent and Grenadines flagged cargo ship with 23 Chinese crewmembers on board in the Indian Ocean near Seychelles, Xinhua reported.
 
Andrew Mwangura, East African coordinator of Seafarers Assistance programme (SAP), said MV Rak Afrikana was hijacked some 280 nautical miles west of Seychelles.
 
"All 23 crews of Rak Afrikana are Chinese," Mwangura told Xinhua over phone from Mombasa.
 
EU Naval Force Commander John Harbour said the 7,561-tonne ship currently stopped moving due to engine problems.
 
The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. Every year about 25,000 ships pass through the area.