BRUSSELS: Pirates attacked two cargo ships off the coast of Kenya and west of the Seychelles yesterday and boarded one of the vessels, the European Union naval force said.

"In the early morning , 400 nautical miles east of Mombasa, Kenya, pirates attempted to hijack MV Jolly Rosso," EU Navfor, the European Union's counter-piracy force in the region, said in a statement.

"Almost at the same time, MV Al Khaliq, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier, reported being under attack 180 nautical miles west of the Seychelles," it said.