MOGADISHU (AFP) - Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region has sent elders to negotiate with pirates who seized a Japanese vessel at the weekend, an official said Wednesday.

Pirates hijacked the Panama-flagged Stella Maris with 21 crew members -- 20 Filipinos and another person whose nationality is yet unknown -- off the northeastern Somali coast on Sunday.

"We sent a team of elders to meet them ... to know what they are demanding for the ship they hijacked," said Hared Ise Omar, a local administrator for Calula township near which the 52,000-tonne freighter is being held.

"We are still collecting information and I hope that we will solve the matter peacefully by talking to the pirates," Omar told AFP.

In April, Puntland forces rescued a hijacked vessel from the United Arab Emirates. At least one pirate was killed during the raid while seven were arrested and sentenced to life terms.

The latest seizure followed two attempted hijackings off the pirate-infested Somali coast in the past week.

The waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years, are considered to be among the most dangerous in the world.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, more than 25 ships were seized off Somalia's 3,700 kilometres (2,300 miles) of coastline last year despite patrols by an international force based in Djibouti.

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