BRUSSELS — The EU's anti-piracy mission said Saturday it was tracking a hijacked chemical tanker off east Africa as Turkey and France announced the capture of 29 suspected pirates.

Norwegian shipowner Broevigtank announced the hijacking of the tanker UBT Ocean off Madagascar on Friday and said the vessel appeared to have been turned around to head north towards Somalia, where pirates have hideouts.

"UBT Ocean has a crew of 21 and they are all from Myanmar/Burma," the EU NAVFOR mission said in a statement confirming the hijacking.

"EU NAVFOR is monitoring the situation," it said.

The Marshall Island-flagged chemical tanker had been travelling from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.

It had taken a route well south of the zone where pirates operate, Broevigtank director Svenn Pedersen said Friday.

The Singapore-based operator of the hijacked tanker said Saturday it was trying to make contact with the ship but had received no word since it was boarded by pirates.

"We are doing everything we can to establish contact and our sole concern right now is the safety of our crew," said Edward Ion, a spokesman for Singaporean operator, Nautictank Pte Ltd.

The Turkish military said one of its frigates intercepted a skiff in the Gulf of Aden in the early hours of Saturday morning, capturing seven suspected pirates and seizing an assault rifle and other equipment.

Meanwhile, Paris announced that a French frigate detained a total of 22 suspected pirates in two separate incidents on Friday.

The Nivoise destroyed two skiffs 180 nautical miles off the Somali coast before intercepting a pirate mother ship and two more skiffs around 90 nautical miles to the south.

Somali pirates hijacked 68 ships in 2009 and raked in an estimated 60 million dollars (44 million euros) in ransom money.

Source: AFP

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