A 1,066-TEU containership held by armed pirates at an anchorage close to the Somali coast has sunk in rough seas.

A EU Naval Force warship and Maritime Patrol Aircraft has launched a search and rescue operation for survivors, but the whereabouts of the 15 crew members is still unknown, reports Alphaliner.

The 1993-built containership, Albedo, was employed on Iran's HDS Lines' Middle East-East Africa service when seized by pirates off Somalia in November 2010.

The ship was owned by Majestic Enrich Sdn Bhd, Malaysia, which purchased her in September 2009 from German-Norway joint interests.

A total of eight ships were built of the same type, which was based on the 'Sietas Typ 146' design. Four of them were scrapped in 2012-13.