Pirates off the coasts of Somalia have hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, raising fears of a resurgence of armed attacks along the coasts of Somalia.

A ttackers have boarded a ship off the coast of Somalia after firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel, according to a UK maritime agency. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has issued an alert about the attack, which it said happened about 560 nautical miles south-east of the Somali town of Eyl.

Pirates off the coast of Somalia have successfully hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, raising fears of a resurgence in armed attacks.

A Malta-flagged tanker heading from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa, is targeted by suspected Somali pirates.

Attackers firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades boarded a ship, en route to South Africa from India, off the coast of Somalia on Thursday