MOGADISHU, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Pirates have seized a Yemeni-flagged fishing boat off the coast of Somalia, marking the third such incident this year, the European Union naval force confirmed on Monday evening.

The EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Atalanta said that the pirates attacked the fishing dhow on Sunday near Durdura, close to Eyl, a northern coastal town in Somalia.

"The incident is under investigation and has been classified as a hijacking," EUNAVFOR said in a statement.

According to the EU naval force, about seven hijackers remain on board the vessel, which has a crew of eight Somali nationals, and it is monitoring the situation and coordinating closely with the Combined Maritime Forces and the Yemeni Coast Guard.

The latest incident comes one month after pirates attacked the Yemeni-flagged dhow Saytuun-2, which was released on Feb. 24.

On Feb. 9, another Yemeni-flagged vessel was hijacked but was abandoned four days later after the pirates stole personal belongings and two skiffs belonging to the dhow.

Somali pirates are often well-armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. They sometimes use skiffs launched from mother ships, which may be hijacked fishing vessels or dhows, to carry out attacks far from the Somali coast. Enditem

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