Pirates have seized a Japanese-owned cargo ship and its crew of 20 Filipinos off the coast of Somalia, the European Union's anti-piracy mission said Monday, DPA reported.
The Panama-flagged MV Izumi sent out a distress signal on Sunday afternoon, indicating it was under pirate attack, EU NAVFOR said in a statement.
The captain of the vessel early Monday sent a message to a Danish warship sent to investigate that the ship was under pirate control, EU NAVFOR said.
A French warship is monitoring the vessel as it nears Somalia.
Piracy is rife off the coast of the chaotic Horn of Africa nation, which has not had an effective central government since 1991.