The Indian Navy rescues sailors on board a ship attacked by pirates off the Somali coast

Indian Navy commandos rescued sailors on board a ship hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Thursday.

A Navy statement said that all 21 crew members were evacuated from the castle, which is the ship's fortified area.

She added that no pirates were found on board the MV Lila Norfolk. A warning was issued to the pirates before the commandos boarded the ship.

Recent attacks on ships off the coast of Somalia have raised fears of a possible resurgence of piracy.

The ship, named MV Lila Norfolk and flying the Liberian flag, was en route to Bahrain before it was reported hijacked east of the Somali coastal city of Eile.

Crew members – 15 of them Indians – Sent a distress signal to the UK Maritime Agency (UKMTO) They added that between five and six gunmen seized the ship on Thursday evening.

An Indian patrol aircraft was sent to make contact with them, followed by the guided-missile destroyer INS Chennai.

Somali pirate attacks, often launched from Elle, posed a major problem for international shipping from 2008 to 2011, prompting countries from around the world to send warships to patrol the region.

One expert told Reuters news agency that the recent attacks off Somalia may have been caused by the transfer of naval ships from the United States and other countries from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea to protect shipping from Houthi rebels based in Yemen.