A Thai ship with 23 Thais and one Myanmar crew members on board has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a local newspaper reported Saturday.

"The kidnapping has been motivated by ransom," Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow was quoted by The Nation as saying.

The Ministry has ordered Thai embassy in Cairo to contact the Somali government and help rescue the Thai crew and captain.

Thailand has been consulting with the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) on measures to negotiate with the hijackers, said Mr Sihasak.

"We are also urgently contacting the owner of the ship, Thai International Tanker, for more information," said the spokesman.

It was reported that the vessel was carrying sugar from Brazil to Yemen as it was seized by hijackers off the Somali capital Mogadishu on Monday.

The attack follows three others over last weekend, including one with rocket-propelled grenades on a US-owned luxury cruise ship carrying holidaymakers. The ship managed to escape.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council criticized Somalia's squabbling government and urged rival factions to come together to confront the chaos and piracy plaguing the African nation.

The council also called on regional powers and international bodies to urgently address the issue.

Since mid-March, at least 32 attacks have occurred along Somalia's coastline, which has become increasingly notorious for pirate attacks.

Source: Xinhua