New Delhi - A Panamanian cargo vessel with 24 Indian crew members was hijacked near Seychelles early Thursday, news reports said Thursday.

MV Al Khaliq, with a 26-member crew, was travelling from Novorosskysk in Russia to Mombasa in Kenya with a cargo of grain, according to India's Directorate-General of Shipping, IANS news agency reported.

The ship was hijacked about 720 nautical miles east of Mombasa.

The vessel, carrying over 35,000 metric tons of wheat, was hijacked by at least three pirates, according to information received from the captain, an official at the directorate-general of Shipping said.

The Indian High Commission in Nairobi has been alerted and is investigating the matter, the official added.

The Indian Coast Guard and other maritime agencies have been alerted.

The ship's managers in Mumbai have been instructed to furnish a list of the crew members with details of their families and the condition of the crew aboard the hijacked ship.(dpa)