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.

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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.

Piracy off the Somali coast peaked in 2011, when 237 attacks were reported. Somali piracy in the region in 2011 cost the world’s economy some $7 billion, with $160 million paid out in ransoms, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group.

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