A German chemical tanker has been seized by pirates off the coast of Oman, according to European Union naval forces.

The pirates, believed to be from Somalia, fired heavy weapons on approach to the vessel, which flies under the flag of the Marshall Islands.

The crew of the Marida Marguerite, comprising 19 Indians, two Bangladeshis and a Ukrainian, were believed to be unharmed by the anti-piracy naval task force. Officials said there had been radio contact with the 13,000 metric ton ship after it was hijacked on Saturday afternoon.

The incident took place some 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Oman, EU Navfor, the European Union naval mission, said in a statement.

"The ship was approached by a pirate skiff firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades and the crew reported that they saw the pirates climbing onboard," the statement said.

"It is believed that all (on board) are well. A passing merchant ship tried to make contact by VHF radio but received a response from the bridge of the hijacked vessel to go away."

Latest incident in growing list

In a separate incident earlier on Saturday, Somali pirates captured a Taiwanese fishing boat off the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Seychelles.

Patrols off the coast of eastern Africa and Arabia by European Union warships, which began in December 2008 as part of Operation Atalanta, have so far failed to deter hijackings.

Modern pirates, heavily armed and equipped with GPS navigation and satellite phones, are believed to have extracted 47 million euros ($60 million) in ransom demands last year.

rc/AFP/Reuters/dpa
Editor: Sarah Harman