KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A maritime official says an Egyptian cargo ship with 25 crew has been hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia.

Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau says the ship was seized late Wednesday, making it the 10th vessel to be hijacked in the pirate-infested waterway since July 20.

He says the attack occurred on the same day when a French sailboat was seized in the area. The French ministry said it believed there were only two French nationals aboard the sailboat.

The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through each year. But it has become notorious for an increasing number of attacks.