The vessel, called Blue Star, was carrying 6,000 tons of fertilizers when it was attacked and snatched after it passed through the Red Sea and entered the Gulf of Aden on Thursday morning.

Egyptian deputy foreign minister, Ahmed Rizq, says 15 armed pirates seized the vessel and were steering it toward the coast of Somalia.

A statement from Rizq says contacts are under way with "international and regional parties" to get the ship released.