A South Korean oil tanker has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul says the 300-thousand-ton "Samho Dream" with a crew of 24 was carrying oil from Iraq to the U.S. state of Louisiana when it was seized by Somali pirates at around 4:10 P.M. Sunday (KST).

Five South Korean and 19 Filipino crew members were aboard the Marshall Islands-registered vessel owned by South Korea's Samho Shipping Co.

The crude oil tanker was seized in waters some one-thousand-500 kilometers southeast of the Gulf of Aden where South Korea's Cheonghae naval unit is operating to protect South Korean ships from Somali pirates.

The ministry has set up a task force to respond to the hijacking of the vessel, adding that it will do its best to help win the release of the crew.

In November 2008, five South Koreans aboard a Japanese-flagged vessel were taken hostage by Somali pirates in the region. They were later released for an undisclosed ransom amount.