European Union (EU) naval forces seized seven suspected Somali pirates on Tuesday after an attack on a French fishing vessel east of Mogadishu.

The EU's Naval Force Somalia said in a statement issued Wednesday that pirates on two "attack skiffs" opened fire on the French ship 350 nautical miles from Mogadishu, but that guards on the ship fired warning shots in return.

The German warship, FGS Karlsruhe, set sail for the scene and a helicopter from the Spanish warship, ESPS Canarias, located the skiffs.

"The helicopter fired warning shots to stop both skiffs," said the EU statement, "after which the pirates stopped and were seen throwing items, presumably pirate paraphernalia, overboard."

When the Karlsruhe arrived, a boarding party seized the skiffs and detained seven suspected pirates after the fishing crew had identified them.

The incident is the latest in an upsurge in piracy off the Somali coast following the end of the monsoon season.

In the last two weeks, pirates have hijacked a Singapore-flagged container ship and a Chinese bulk carrier, attacked a third ship and attempted to hijack another. European naval forces have also intercepted a number of skiffs and confiscated equipment that could be used in pirate attacks.