Pirates seized a Greek-owned bulk carrier in the North Arabian sea on Monday, taking the 23-strong crew hostage, the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said.

EU Navfor said the MV Dover was hijacked about 260 nautical miles north east of Salalah in Oman. Communication with the vessel had been lost, it said.

"The Panamanian flagged, Greek owned vessel was on its way to Saleef (Yemen) from Port Quasim (Pakistan) when it was attacked," EU Navfor said in a statement.

The crew include three Romanian citizens, one Russian and 19 Filipinos.

Somalia has been mired in violence and awash with weapons since the overthrow of a dictator two decades ago, allowing piracy to flourish off the lawless nation's shores.

Preying on merchant vessels and pleasure boats, the pirates rake in tens of millions of dollars a year in ransoms. – Reuters