BOSASSO, Somalia - Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier about 500 miles south west of Oman and released another Greek-owned vessel held since July, the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said on Monday.    

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"MV Eagle was attacked and pirated by a single skiff with pirates firing small arms and a rocket propelled grenade before boarding the vessel," EU Navfor said on its website.

The 52,163 tonne merchant vessel and its crew of 24 Filipinos was en route to India from Jordan when it was seized in the early hours of Monday, the naval force said.

Maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7 billion and $12 billion a year, according to a report released last week, with Somali piracy in particular driving up the cost of shipping through the Indian Ocean.    Two decades of conflict in Somalia have allowed piracy to flourish off the lawless nation's shores. Pirates typically do not harm crews held hostage in the expectation of receiving a ransom for a vessel's release.

EU Navfor reported pirates released the Marshall Islands flagged MV Motivator and its crew of 18 Filipinos on Sunday and said the Greek owners of the 13,065 tonne tanker believed the crew were well.

A pirate who identified himself as Farah told Reuters by telephone that a ransom had been paid for the MV Motivator. It was not immediately possible to verify the report.