( CNN ) -- Pirates have commandeered a Taiwanese-flagged fishing boat off the coast of Africa , the European Union 's Naval Force in Somalia announced on Friday . The naval force said the Feng Guo No . 168 departed from Port Louis , Mauritius , on October 1 , with 14 crew members onboard , including a Taiwanese captain and sailors from Vietnam , China and Indonesia . The vessel was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden , about 250 nautical miles from Madagascar . That location makes the incident the southernmost act of piracy since the European Union began its first-ever naval response , Operation ATALANTA , in December 2008 , according to the naval force . The force said the operation exists to combat piracy and protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean , especially merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid from the World Food Program and the African Union Mission in Somalia . Somali pirates now hold 18 ships and 383 hostages after snatching the Feng Guo No . 168 , the naval force said .
Pirates take over Taiwanese boat with 14 crew on board , says EU 's naval force . Score: 6 Somali pirates are now holding a total of 18 ships and 383 hostages , EU says .