Nairobi/Mogadishu  - Somali pirates on Monday attacked a 330- metre-long oil tanker some 400 nautical miles north-east of the Seychelles but were unable to capture the ship, a spokesperson for the European Union's anti-piracy mission Atalanta said.

The pirates fired grenades at the Hong Kong-flagged tanker BW Lion from two speedboats. The tanker was able to escape through some evasive manoeuvres.

The attack was the farthest removed from the Somali capital Mogadishu to date, occurring 1,000 nautical miles away, the Atalanta spokesperson said.

A Luxembourg patrol aircraft stationed in Seychelles was searching for the pirates.(dpa)