An Italian vessel carrying 23 crew was hijacked by five pirates about 620 miles east of the Somali coast TOday, the D'Alesio shipping company said.

The owners of the M/V Montecristo said the crew comprised Italian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals, adding it was "actively collaborating with all the related Italian and international authorities to respond to the emergency."

"There has been no contact with the ship since 6:44 (0444 GMT) this morning," when the captain sent a message saying the vessel was under attack and he had activated "the security operating procedure."

"After 10 hours without news, we can consider the ship hijacked," a spokesman from the Livorno-based company told AFP.

Italy's foreign ministry said it was in contact with the shipping company and was closely monitoring the situation.

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