The crew of a South Korean freighter, hijacked in the Arabian Sea on Saturday apparently by Somali pirates, have been all confirmed to be safe, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.

The 11,500-ton chemical freighter, the Samho Jewelry, was en route to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates carrying 21 crew members when it was seized in waters between Oman and India on Saturday.

"The location of the ship was found and the 21 crew members, including eight South Koreans, were all confirmed to be safe through communications between Samho Shipping Co. and the ship," the official said, requesting not to be named, referring to the name of the freighter's owner.

"We understand it was Somali pirates that hijacked the ship," the official said. "We're discussing countermeasures together with related government offices." (Yonhap News)