A Greek owned tanker with 17 crew members was seized by Somali pirates off Kenya, announced on Sunday officials of the European naval force NAVFOR which patrols the area.

The Singapore-flagged vessel named "York" which is owned by Greek Interunity Management Corporation (IMC), had just transported a cargo of liquid petrol gas to Mombasa.

It was sailing from Kenya to Seychelles, when it came under attack by pirates who operate in the region, at a distance of approximately 50 nautical miles off Mombasa.

The tanker has a 17-member crew on board, which includes a German captain, two Ukrainian nationals and 14 Filipinos.

According to the latest information, the tanker is led by the Somali pirates to one of their bases in Somalia.