Pirates hijack small boat with 11 Indian sailors onboard off Somali coast

11 Indian sailors on a small boat have been hijacked off Somalia's coast, says a private anti-piracy investigator. This is the latest vessel targeted by the region's resurgent pirates.

Graeme Gibbon Brooks of Dryad Maritime told The AssociatedPress today that the hijackers want a ransom for the crew. Brooks said the vessel was being taken to the Eyl area of northern Somalia.

He said the vessel initially was heading from Dubai to Bosaso, Somalia. Lt Ian Mc Connaughey, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said sailors there are "aware of the reports and we are monitoring the situation."

The 5th Fleet oversees regional anti-piracy efforts. In March, Somali pirates hijacked the Comoros-flagged tanker Aris 13, marking the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel since 2012. 

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