Mumbai, Oct 22 (IANS) A Panamanian cargo vessel with 24 Indian crewmembers on board was hijacked near Seychelles early Thursday morning, an official said Thursday.

M.V. Al Khaliq was carrying a crew of 26 and was travelling from Novorosskysk in Russia to Mombasa in Kenya with a cargo of grain, according to the Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS) here.

It was hijacked is around 720 nautical miles east of Mombasa.

The vessel, loaded with over 35,000 metric tonnes of wheat, was hijacked by at least three pirates, as per information received from the captain.

Following the message, the Indian High Commission in Nairobi is investigating the matter.

The Indian Coast Guard and other maritime agencies have been alerted in the matter, the DGS said.

The ship's managers in Mumbai have been instructed to furnish a list of the crew members with details of their families and the condition of the crew aboard the hijacked ship.