Somali pirates have hijacked¹ the Panama-flagged MV Suez cargo² ship with 23 crew on board, the European Union naval³ force (EUNAVFOR) has said.

欧联海军特遣队称，索马里海盗劫持了一艘悬挂巴拿马国旗的、载有23名船员的货船。

 
Last year, Somali pirates carried out more than 200 attacks

The ship, which is carrying a cement consignment⁴（运送，托付物） , came under small arms fire while sailing in a recommended shipping⁵ lane（大洋航线） in the Gulf⁶ of Aden.

Its crew are from Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.

Although they called for help, the pirates were on board by the time a naval helicopter arrived.

Early on Monday morning, a message from the 17,300-tonne freighter（货船，承运人） said it was captured "under small arms fire from a pirate attack". Minutes later she reported "pirates on board", EUNAVFOR Somalia said in a statement.

Last week, 11 Somali pirates were sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Seychelles for attempting to seize a coastguard boat in December.

In recent years, pirates have extended their reach further from the shores of East Africa.

Warships⁷ from around the world are patrolling the Indian Ocean in a bid to（为了） deter⁸（制止，阻止） pirate attacks.

However, pirate suspects are routinely freed because of doubts about where they should face trial.

Last year, Somali pirates carried out more than 200 hijackings, a record number, according to the Piracy⁹ Reporting Center of the International Maritime¹⁰ Bureau.