Mogadishu: Pirates have hijacked an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden, a piracy monitoring group said on Friday.

Gunmen took control of the ship late on Thursday, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Nairobi-based Seafarers Assistance Programme.

Mwangura said details of the nationality of the crew members and the size of the ship are still not clear.

The ship, the 31st to be hijacked off the coast of Somalia this year, is being taken to the remote town of Eyl, Mwangura said.