Somali pirates hijacked a Panama-flagged cargo ship and its 24-strong crew in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said.

EU Navfor said a US warship had seen at least one person with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher on board the MV QSM Dubai. It said the crew were from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ghana.

The 15,220 deadweight tonne vessel was seized inside the internationally recommended transit corridor and had come from Brazil. It was not immediately clear what the MV QSM Dubai was carrying.

Pirates from the lawless horn of Africa nation continue to outwit an international flotilla of warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden that links Europe with Africa and Asia. They have raked in tens of millions of dollars in ransoms. – Reuters