A tugboat, most of on aboard are believed to be Indonesians, and a Turkish cargo ship have been hijacked off the coast of the war-wracked Somalia yesterday, according to agencies' reports.

The tugboat operated by the French oil giant Total was on its way to Malaysia when it was hijacked, the reports said.

Pirates have hijacked some 40 ships this year in the waters off Somalia and currently hold about 15 vessels and their crew, despite a growing number of international patrols to stop the attacks.