The European Union Naval Force said on Wednesday that Somali pirates failed to hijack a French- flagged vessel approximately 100 nautical miles southeast from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Naval force spokesman Per Kingvall said the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Carrier (LPGC) Maido came under attack late on Tuesday with 14 crew members in the Somali basin.

"Pirates had managed to board the vessel, however, later in the evening (Tuesday) they eventually abandoned it, after having been unable to get control over the crew who had locked themselves in the ship's "citadel," Klingvall said.

He said the 14 crew members are reported safe. However, Klingvall did not disclose the nationalities of the crew onboard.

Pirates are holding nearly 20 ships with a total of nearly 400 hostages, according to the European Union Naval Force.

Most hijackings end without casualties when a ransom has been paid, but often after several months of negotiations.

The Gulf of Aden, a body of water between Somalia and Yemen, is the main sea route between Europe and Asia.

Tankers carrying Middle East oil through the Suez Canal must pass first through the Gulf of Aden. About 4 percent of the world's daily oil supply is shipped through the gulf.

The attacks are being carried out by increasingly well- coordinated Somali gangs armed with automatic weapons and rocket- propelled grenades, maritime officials said.

The Horn of Africa nation has been without a functioning government since 1991, and remains one of the world's most violent and lawless countries.