ROME - An Italian fishing boat is being escorted back to Lampedusa by an Italian navy ship, following an attempted seizure by Libyan militiamen off the coast of North Africa, according to the Italian Defence chief of staff.

 Reports received by the Defence department indicate the attempted seizure was carried out by a small craft, which is believed to have belonged to Libyan security forces. The reports said that the crew rebelled by locking themselves in the hold, before Italian navy personnel boarded the ship and took control.

 However a spokesman for the Sicilian fishing trade organisation told Reuters that he believes it could have been an act of piracy, adding that the sailing vessel was crewed by three Italians and four Tunisians in total. 

 "This is probably an act of piracy because the tugboat that approached the trawler had no Libyan governmental insignia," said Francesco Mezzapelle.

 The Defence Ministry has not immediately revealed whether there were any clashes between the navy and those who seized the vessel, however no injuries have been reported according to Mezzapelle.

 This latest incident symbolises the chaotic scenes, which have plagued the Mediterranean in recent weeks. It has been estimated that over 10,000 migrants have attempted the crossing from North Africa during this week alone, and disasters leading to tragic losses of life are commonplace.

 Just yesterday, 12 Christian migrants were thrown overboard by their Muslim counterparts in a religiously motivated attack with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimating on Friday that as many as 950 migrants have been killed attempting the dangerous crossing so far this year.