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The crew was taken away yesterday when an armed group embarked on its cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria and took them hostage.
Massoel Shipping said that its bulk carrier MV Glares, which had 19 passengers, was attacked early in the morning.
He was carrying wheat between Nigeria's capital, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
The company said in a statement that during the 45-minute attack, "The gang of pirates boarded the Glarus by means of long ladders and cut the wire on the bridge to access the ship and possibly the bridge.
"After destroying much of the ship's communications equipment, the criminal gang set off taking 12 of the 19 crew members hostage."
Cases of piracy have increased dramatically in the last two years as oceans are becoming increasingly dangerous.
In the first half of 2018, the Ether recorded 107 incidents, more than double the figure of 54 for 2015.
Many countries have joined forces to stop hackers after the cases reached their peak in 2010, when more than 1,000 people were taken hostage on hijacked ships.
Hackers who remove crew members from commercial ships usually demand ransom for their safe return.
Often, they will be in small motor boats and are heavily armed with automatic weapons.
No further details have been provided concerning the most recently removed sailors.
Massoel, based in Geneva, said their family members had been informed, adding that all relevant authorities had been notified "and that negotiating experts had been called to" ensure the speedy and secure release of detained persons ".
