Somali pirates may have seized a Taiwan fishing vessel with 26 crew members onboard in the Indian Ocean, near Madagascar, European Union Naval Force Somalia (NAVFOR) said on Thursday.

During the morning of Saturday, the fishing vessel FV Shiuh Fu No 1 reported being under pirate attack, approximately 120 nautical miles off the North-East tip of the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

No further communication with the vessel has been possible since the attack but strong indications are that FV Shiuh Fu No 1 has been pirated, said the NAVFOR on its website.

The vessel, which has a crew of 26 consisting of Chinese nationals, from both the mainland and Taiwan, and Vietnamese, was operating off the North-East corner of the island when it reported being chased by a skiff.

Communications were then lost, according to the NAVFOR, adding the conditions of the crew or the vessel are not known.

There are now 26 vessels and 613 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia.