A German freight ship was seized on Sunday morning by pirates off the coast of Kenya, a spokesman for the German army said.

A German freight ship belonging to German shipping company Beluga-Reederei is seized on Sunday morning by pirates off the coast of Kenya, October 25, 2010.

The spokesman said pirates attacked and captured the ship about 1,930 km east of the Kenyan city of Mombasa.

The ship belongs to German shipping company Beluga-Reederei, but it was not immediately known how many people were on board, said German media reports.

On Saturday, a Singapore-flagged liquefied-gas tanker was seized by pirates about 170 km off Mombasa, with 17 crew members on board, including a German captain.

The European Union Naval Force said Somali pirates currently seized nearly 20 ships and took some 400 people hostage. Most hijacking could end in a peaceful way if a ransom was paid after a month-long negotiation.