Kuala Lumpur - A Greek-owned bulk carrier cargo ship was attacked Thursday by armed pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia, an anti-piracy watchdog said.

The ship had been travelling to Kenya when a group of pirates launched an attack about 200 nautical miles, or 370 kilometres, off the coast of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau said in Malaysia.

The Greek ship was expected Friday at Mombasa to discharge its cargo, news reports said. All 25 crew members were said to be safe, Choong said

He said the latest incident showed Somali pirates have expanded their area of attack from the country's northern coast in the Gulf of Aden to Somalia's eastern coast.

"If nothing is done to deter the pirates, we're gonna see a lot more attacks," he said.

Pirates have captured dozens of ships around the Horn of Africa this year, making the waters off Somalia the most dangerous in the world.

Operating out of strife-torn Somalia, pirates attack vessels using major commercial shipping routes. In the past two months, they seized 13 ships in the Gulf of Aden, bringing the total number of reported attacks off Somalia this year to 55.

"We call upon the United Nations and the international community to take action to stop these attacks before they get out of control," Choong said, speaking at the bureau's Kuala Lumpur office, where the London-based body operates a 24-hour piracy reporting centre.

The bureau noted in its quarterly report that Somalia recorded the highest number of piracy attacks in the world with 24 cases, followed by Nigeria with 18 cases.

The centre has urged greater international efforts in stemming the activities of the pirates, who are seen to be using increasingly violent methods of attack.

Earlier this week, French forces rescued two sailors held for ransom by pirates.

In an effort to protect ships, Spain also said Wednesday that it planned to send military aircraft to patrol in the waters off the coast of Somalia. (dpa)