NAIROBI, Kenya, April 08, SPA -- Somali pirates on Wednesday hijackeda U.S.-flagged cargo ship with 21 crew members aboard, adiplomat and a U.S. Navy spokesman said. The Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel as the17,000-ton Maersk Alabama and said all the crew members areAmerican, Associated Press reported. The U.S. Navy confirmed that a U.S. flagged ship with 21members of crew was hijacked early Wednesday off theeastern coast of Somalia. Spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the attackhappened in the early hours of the morning hours, about 280miles (450 kilometers) northeast of Eyl, a town in thenorthern Puntland region of Somalia. Christensen said there were U.S. citizens aboard the ship,but he did not say how many. He said the ship was operated by the Danish companyMaersk, which deals with the U.S. Department of Defense. Christensen said the vessel was not working under aPentagon contract when hijacked. Maersk Kenya Managing Director Rolf Nielsen said thecompany was still verifying reports of the hijacking. AnU.S. embassy spokeswoman was not immediately able toconfirm the incident. Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' AssistanceProgram said the ship was taken about 400 miles (640kilometers) from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The vessel is the sixth to be seized within a week and thefirst with an all-American crew.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/652455