Somali pirates have hijacked a Liberian-owned bulk cargo ship in the Indian Ocean, about 1,050 nautical miles east of the Somali coastal village of Eyl, EU anti- piracy force said on Sunday.

EU Naval Force spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said the Panama- flagged MV Renuar was attacked early on Saturday with 24 crew, all Filipinos in the distance of 550 nautical miles from the coast of India. "The attack was launched from two attack skiffs, supported by a mother ship, with pirates firing small arms and rocket propelled grenades at the merchant vessel," O'Kennedy said. Since the attack, he said, the pirates have confirmed that they have control of the ship which is now heading West towards the Somali coast.

The MV Renuar has a deadweight of 70,156 tonnes, and was en route to Fujairah (UAE) from Port Louis (Mauritius), when pirated.

"The 24 man Filipino crew attempted to evade the pirates for some time causing the pirates to make several determined attacks before finally boarding the vessel," O'Kennedy said

"There are presently no communications with the ship and the condition of the crew is not known."

Hijackings off East Africa are a cause of growing international concern, spurring a number of international navies to patrol the pirate-wracked Gulf of Aden. Hundreds of other people remain hostage aboard hijacked ships in the Gulf of Aden and its surrounding seas.

An estimated 25,000 ships annually cruise the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's northern coast. The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. About 25,000 ships use the channel south of Yemen, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.