BEIJING (AP) — China is making an "all-out" effort to rescue a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates, a government spokesman said.

The De Xin Hai ship and its 25 crew members were seized by pirates early Monday in the Indian Ocean about 700 miles east of the lawless Somali coastline.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said China has launched a "contingency mechanism" in the wake of the hijacking and ordered missions abroad to verify developments and notify relevant countries. It has also issued warnings to Chinese ships to stay away from the area "in case of accident or danger."

"We will continue to follow closely the developments and make all-out efforts to rescue the hijacked ship and personnel," he said, without elaborating on details. It is the first successful attack on a Chinese vessel since the country deployed three naval warships to the region last year.

A previous attack on a Chinese vessel last year was repelled when the crew used homemade Molotov cocktails to fight off their attackers.

A spokesman with Qingdao Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd., which owns the vessel, said the company is working on comforting the families of those kidnapped.

He declined to give his name because he was not authorised to speak with media. He said the company was working with the Transport Ministry and other relevant ministries.

China's anti-piracy mission was the first international combat mission for China's navy outside of its home waters. Countries as diverse as Britain, India, Iran, the US, France and Germany have naval forces in the waters or on their way there.

Spurred by poverty in Somalia, pirates have made an estimated $30 million hijacking ships for ransom last year, seizing more than 40 vessels off the African nation's 1,880-mile coastline. Somali pirates have recently ramped up attacks after a period of quiet during poor weather.

They use sophisticated equipment and so-called larger "mother ships" to enable them to strike hundreds of miles offshore. The multimillion-dollar ransoms they share are a fortune in their impoverished and war-ravaged country.