There are three Romanians, 19 Filipinos and a Russian aboard the Panama-flagged vessel. There is no communication with the ship and no information regarding the condition of the crew.

In a separate incident, pirates released the MV Izumi on Friday, the naval force said Monday. The Panama-flagged vessel and its Filipino crew of 20 are believed to be making for a safe port. There is no information on the condition of the vessel or the crew. The ship was taken in October.

EU officials also said Monday that pirates had surrendered a ship they had been using as a mothership off Africa’s coast.

Wing Commander Paddy O’Kennedy, spokesman for the European Union’s anti-piracy force, said officials in Madagascar on Sunday arrested 12 suspected pirates after they surrendered the Aly Zoulfecar upon arriving in the Indian Ocean island nation. O’Kennedy said the ship, controlled by pirates since Nov. 3, carried 20 passengers and 9 crew members and had been badly ravaged by a tropical storm before arriving in Madagascar.

Somali pirates have extended their range east and south after increased naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden. They hold more than 660 hostages and some 30 vessels. If a vessel’s owner is unable to pay the multimillion dollar ransoms the pirates demand, they may keep it and use it to stalk other vessels until they run out of supplies or break down.