Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday that a ship seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean has 10 Ukrainians among its 25 crewmembers.

The British-flagged Asian Glory, with a cargo of cars bound for Saudi Arabia, was hijacked on Friday evening 600 nautical miles (1,100 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia, the European Union's NAVFOR said in a statement. The EU force said the vessel was well outside the area of operation Atalanta when it was taken.

"It has been confirmed through diplomatic channels that the mixed crew includes citizens of several countries, including 10 citizens of Ukraine, eight citizens of Bulgaria, five from India and two from Romania," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It added that top ministry officials and the Ukrainian Embassy in London were part of efforts to secure the release of the crew.

The Asian Glory, which Bulgarian representatives of the British owners said was on its way to join a convoy through the Gulf of Aden, is the second ship to be seized in the new year, with an Indonesian chemical tanker boarded by pirates earlier on Friday.

The MT Parmoni was en route to India when it was forced to turn towards the Somali coast, NAVFOR said.

Piracy off Somalia picked up again this week after a relative lull in attacks as a British chemical tanker and a Greek freighter have also been hijacked, carrying 45 crew members in total.

KIEV, January 2 (RIA Novosti)