Berlin- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged parliament Wednesday to approve German participation in a European Union anti-piracy operation off Somalia.

"It's not something out of an adventure story," Chancellor Angela Merkel's deputy told the lower house or Bundestag during the first reading of a bill on the naval mission.

Steinmeier said pirates had seized more than 200 ships off the Horn of Africa this year and were currently holding 17 vessels and some 200 crewmembers hostage.

He urged deputies to approve a "robust mandate" for the German navy that would enable it to use force in line with the rules of engagement in the EU's Operation Atalanta.

Steinmeier said the resolution approved by the UN Security Council on Tuesday, allowing foreign military units to pursue pirates inside Somalia itself, did not apply to Germany.

"This changes nothing about the task or the scale of the European Defence and Security Policy operation or of the German parliamentary mandate, Steinmeier said.

Under Operation Atlanta, which was formally launched on December 8, the EU expects to operate a flotilla of six warships and three reconnaissance planes off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.

Germany has offered a naval frigate, the Karlsruhe, and up to 1,400 sailors, airmen and other military personnel. Parliament is due to vote on the mission on Friday. (dpa)