Somali pirates have hijacked a Panama-flagged ship with 20 crew members, all Filipinos. According to the European Union Naval Force spokesman Lt. Col Per Klingvall, the owners of the MV Izumi reported yesterday that they had received a distress signal indicating that the vessel was likely to be under pirate attack. Klingvall said the Danish warship HDMS Esbern Snare of the NATO counter piracy force was dispatched to intercept and investigate. According to the spokesman, the captain of the vessel made contact with the Danish warship early this morning stating that the pirates were in charge of the MV Izumi. An EU NAVFOR French warship FS Floreal is now monitoring the pirated vessel which is presently 170 nautical miles South of Mogadishu.