Somali pirates have hijacked Antigua and Barbuda flagged and German owned vessel, approximately 200 nautical miles North-East of Salalah, Oman; a location only 35 nautical miles from the Omani coastline, EU anti- piracy mission said on Friday.

EU Naval Force Somalia spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said the MV Sudan K was pirated early Friday by at least 10 pirates. "The MV Susan K has a crew of 10 (4 Ukraine and 6 Filipino). There is no further information about the crew at present," O' Kennedy said.

He said the general cargo ship was attacked and boarded by at least 10 pirates although exact details of the attack are not known at this time.

The Antigua & Barbuda flagged and German owned vessel was on its way to Port Sudan (Sudan) from Mumbai (India) when it was attacked.

The vessel was registered with Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa MSC (HOA) and was reporting to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The pirates have intensified their action in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and most of hijackings end without casualties when a ransom has been paid, but often after several months of negotiations.

The Gulf of Aden, a body of water between Somalia and Yemen, is the main sea route between Europe and Asia. Tankers carrying Middle East oil through the Suez Canal must pass first through the Gulf of Aden.

About four per cent of the world's daily oil supply is shipped through the gulf.

The attacks are being carried out by increasingly well- coordinated Somali gangs armed with automatic weapons and rocket- propelled grenades, maritime officials said.

The Horn of Africa nation has been without a functioning government since 1991, and remains one of the world's most violent and lawless countries.

Combined Task Force 150, a naval alliance dominated by the United States and based in the Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti, is patrolling an area within the Gulf of Aden to help protect ships from pirates.