Somali pirates seized a cargo ship with 24 Syrian and Egyptian crew members on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden, said the European Union's anti-piracy force.

The St Vincent and Grenadines-flagged vessel, named the Syria Star, was sailing west through the piracy-plagued water when pirates climbed onboard and "fired shots at the crew," said the NAVFOR Somalia mission in a statement.

When rescue forces including helicopters and warships arrived at the scene shortly after receiving distress signals, "the Syria Star had reversed course and was heading South East back toward the Horn of Africa under the control of the pirates," added the statement.

The condition of the 24-member crew, including 22 Syrians and two Egyptians, is yet to be known as hijackers have so far refused to respond to radio contact, according to the statement.

Many countries have deployed naval forces in the Gulf of Aden during the past few years in a bid to secure the crucial nautical route leading to the Suez Canal, yet Somalia-based piracy remains rampant.