Somali pirates hijacked a Taiwanese ship off the coast of the Horn of African country with at least 14 crew members on board, a regional maritime official confirmed on Saturday.

Andrew Mwangura, East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers' Assistance Program (SAP), said the Jih Chun Tsai 68 vessel, which was seized by the Somali gunmen on Thursday, has Taiwanese and Indonesians on board.

"The Jih Chun Tsai 68 vessel was hijacked on Thursday by Somali pirates. So far I have not confirmed the composition of the crew, but they are from Taiwan and Indonesia," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone.