Somali pirates hijacked the Pakistani-flagged fishing vessel MV Shahbaig on Sunday, Reuters quoted the European Union Naval Force as saying in a statement. The ship, with a crew of 29 on board thought to be Pakistani, was seized 320 nautical miles east of Socotra, an island off the Horn of Africa, the EU Naval Force statement issued on Wednesday said. Pirates currently hold 11 ships and 283 hostages along the coastline of Somalia, according to the EU Naval Force, which monitors piracy in Somali waters. There has been an upsurge in piracy in the Indian Ocean, particularly off the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden despite anti-piracy operations by the European Union, NATO and several individual states. --SPA